Divine Interventions
by blancabruja
Summary: This story starts back in the history of the mangaanime series when Inuyasha makes his promise to Kikyo. Kagome goes home heartbroken. Return doesn't seem possible. When she and Inuyasha finally reunite, everything changes.
1. Prologue

Divine Interventions  
  
Just a few author's notes.  
  
Disclaimer # 1: I am totally challenged when it comes to all things  
internet. This is my first and possible only attempt to post a  
fanfiction. I have no doubt that some annoying errors are occurring  
because of my technology ignorance. For example, thoughts that are in  
the character's heads are SUPPOSED to be appearing in italics. For some  
reason this isn't showing up in the uploads from MS Word. It may  
therefore be confusing. For this, I apologize ahead.  
  
Disclaimer #2: I am not familiar in the least with Japanese  
culture/customs or language, although I wish I were. Because I know even  
less about all things Japanese than all things high-tech (I occasionally  
get baffled by the microwave, to give you an idea of where this is  
leading), I don't use any Japanese slang words, curse words, or other  
common terms used regularly in the manga series and that I have seen in  
almost all other fanfiction. My story is so Americanized, it may be  
distasteful for that reason alone. Please understand though, it is not  
my desire to by Ameri-centric in my perspective, but I am limited by my  
ignorance and my lack of time to educate myself to deal fully with this  
ignorance. I ask the prospective readers indulgence in accepting that  
you basically have to pretend that all characters speak/understand  
English or, alternatively, pretend that all English references are in  
Japanese. Saying this, it is my strongest hope that I have not caused  
any unintended offenses, since these are not much better than intentional  
ones. Ignorance is not much of an excuse, but it's mine and I'm taking  
the safest, quickest approach I can think of by pleading it and getting  
on with writing.  
  
Disclaimer # 3 (Or "Who I Am And Why I'm Writing This"): I am probably a  
lot older than most fanfiction writers, since I am rapidly approaching  
that fun part of life called "middle age." I started this project as a  
bet with my son (to give you an even better idea of my age). He started  
watching Inuyasha on Cartoon Network about a year ago and started buying  
VIZ manga's several months back. As any good mom should, I think, I try  
to take an interest in my kid's interests, especially what they are  
reading, watching, and where they are going on-line. He's a huge fan,  
and in the process of watching/reading with him I came to appreciate the  
writer's storyline and the premise more than I ever thought I would.  
  
I am an old sci-fi fan (I wanted nothing more than Captain Kirk to beam  
me up when I was child), and love the moral and philosophical questions  
that often drive what is the best of the genre. Anyway, because of  
cursing, seemingly mysogyistic attitudes towards women (especially by the  
title character), and adult situations, I wasn't sure my eleven year old  
(who acts like he's sixteen most of the time but is nonetheless ONLY  
eleven), should be reading the comics. I made him a deal: "You can  
continue to buy these expensive comic books if you will write your own  
stories based on the series." (He has been doing this with other anime's  
and made up his own since he was about eight. I thought, "if he can use  
his interest to spur his creative writing, then I can deal with the  
rest.") My son is a wonderful, artistic, and bright kid, who, as I said,  
loves to create, but has a learning disability in writing. Getting him  
to write or read anything non-manga is like asking him to give me his  
blood. If he wants this badly enough, I thought, he'll agree. He did,  
but surprised me by returning the challenge. "I'm already writing," I  
said. "I'm finishing my master's." "That doesn't count. It's grown-up  
and boring. You need to write something for fun too." "I write poetry  
for fun," I said. "Yeah, but who reads that stuff. Write something  
other people can read and understand." Oh, if he weren't my kid. . . .  
Anyway, I laughed at the time and didn't think I would do this, but his  
challenge struck me somehow. I've never written series prose or even  
thought about fiction. Most of my writing for years has been in terms of  
college research papers and poetry. (My father was a poet and my own  
personal inspiration for writing).  
I started this about a month ago on a lark to answer a question my son  
made me ask of myself—am I up to this kind of a challenge? I have to  
say that whether or not the story works for you, kind reader, I am having  
a hell of a good time writing it. I'm pretty far into it at this point  
and plan to finish it, although I need to turn my attention to the last  
chapter of my thesis and defend that before I finish this. Since I  
already have a lot written (about 300 pages, I think), if you like the  
story at all, I should have enough to edit and post to keep the story  
going if I take a couple of months off from major new writing.  
  
Disclaimer # 4: I assume you are older than my son if you are reading  
this by at least six years. If not, please come back later. There is  
plenty of bad language, adult situations, and, in planned chapters, some  
sexual content. I would love to try my hand at a romance novel after I  
finish my master's, so you could say I'm experimenting and trying to  
learn. This brings me to a very important point: Before ever starting  
this, I did a lot of reading of Inuyasha fanfictions online. Although  
there is a lot of stuff I have no personal interest in and,  
unfortunately, a lot of just plain bad writing, there is a great amount  
of very high quality, creative writing by many young writers. You may be  
one of them. I have been amazed and delighted by many of the stories  
posted here and on other fanfiction sites by very young writers (writers  
young enough to refer to the fact that they are having a hard time  
finding time to write because they were grounded or busy with  
cheerleading practice, etc.) Anyway, kudos and blessings to you all,  
young writers. You are inspirational to all those young and young of  
mind. I am awed by the talent I have had the pleasure to encounter. So  
far my son has not committed to writing a story and I have, an  
embarrassing irony! Oh well, I can't help it—this is just great fun.  
  
Disclaimer #5: I don't own, didn't create any of the character of  
Inuyasha. I guess I'm supposed to say this since everyone does. Also,  
while this story is a product of my own imagination created during five-  
mile walks around the Y.M.C.A. track, I also have read a lot of other  
fanfiction. Some conventions that I have come across in more than one  
story, I have used myself (i.e. the idea of Inuyasha's desire to "mark"  
his mate with a bite). I'm not sure if anyone claims to own these ideas.  
If they do, I'm not sure they should. What is it people say—there is no  
such thing as an original idea? Anyway, I hope I have taken some of my  
non-original ideas and combined them in my own, original stew. I think  
it's the best anyone can do, really—to be inspired by others, recreate,  
and inspire anew. If, by chance, you think I've done more than take my  
inspiration from someone else, but a true story, let me know. But,  
because of my own weirdness, I doubt it.  
  
ONE LAST NOTE FOR THE ACADEMIC: In case anyone reading this might like  
the idea—If you have a background in Japanese language and culture and  
comprehensive knowledge of Inuyahsa and maybe even the ability to compare  
it to other manga (which sadly I don't and don't have the time to devote  
properly), I think a awesome article (possibly even more) could be  
developed along the theme of Jungian archetypes and Inuyasha. If he  
isn't a perfect anima figure! I can imagine looking at Japanese  
mythology and comparative mythology, especially in regard to presentation  
of female figures in fairy-tales and psychology. I think the reason this  
story catches so may people's imaginations world-wide is that it taps  
into something deep, primal. Clarissa Pinkola Estes work WOMEN WHO RUN  
WITH WOLVES may be a bit "new age" for snooty "serious scholarship," (so  
my professor husband informs me not to quote her too much in my own  
work), but I think it's a great place to begin and gives interesting  
cross-cultural perspectives.  
  
Prologue  
  
Kagome watched from a fairly far distance, but in the intense white moonlight, nothing was left to mistake. She saw them embrace, saw his head bend down to meet her mouth in a gentle, surreal kiss. Not able to move, not able to breathe, she could only watch, knowing that he had made his choice, the choice she knew in her heart he would always make. She felt herself instantly drowning in an ocean of her own sorrow nonetheless. She felt the tears start to form and fall and was aware of her own breathing now, coming in sharp, ragged, and painful bursts. Kagome didn't know she was running, running from the spot where she had witnessed and heard Inuyasha's promise to Kikyo, his promise to protect her, to stay with her no matter what. But she had heard it. In the unnatural stillness of the night, his words, spoken in his beautiful deep-timbered voice, spoke words to Kikyo that Kagome would NEVER forget hearing.  
  
Now she stood in the still darkness at the mouth of the well. Here, in the quiet of the calm twilight scenery, she regained a little of her composure. Allowing herself to sit on the moss-covered well's ledge, she bowed her head. No, I will not stand in his way, in their way. I'm the fault of all this in the first place. I just wish I had given him the damn jewel when I had it. I wouldn't be here now, I wouldn't have known–I wouldn't have had a chance to care. Damnit! Inuyasha deserves to be happy. . . . so does Kikyo.  
  
With her head still bowed, she softly whispered words into her own lap: "Dear God, please let things work out the way they were meant to." That said, she sighed as more tears began to pool in her eyes. Slowly, she lifted the chain off her neck that held the tiny container and glowing shards. She held the shards up to her eyes, watching their soft blue glow. She couldn't help it, her heart worked faster than her mind. She opened the small glass container and removed one tiny shard. She quickly re- closed the lid and dropped the necklace in the tall grass beside the well. Clutching the single shard tightly in her hand, she turned and positioned herself to jump.  
  
I will be here when they finish the quest. I need to be here to witness the end of this, even if I'm not needed, not wanted. Even if I feel like I'm dying inside.  
  
She became aware of a noise coming closer in the dark, someone was shouting her name, crying really: "Kagome! Kagome! Where are you?"  
  
Shippo, she thought with some sadness. Please take care of yourself for awhile. I'll miss you. An unbidden image of Inuyasha and Kikyo, smiling at each other and arms around each other's waists came into her mind. Shippo was laughing, straddling one of Inuyasha's shoulders and one of Kikyo's. With a flash of guilt over the jealousy-induced vision, Kagome closed her eyes and lunged forward. She willed her mind and body to fall forward freely, to allow time to envelope her and distance her from her pain.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Inuyasha, Kagome's gone. I don't know what you did to make her mad this time, but you better go fix it, you big idiot!" Shippo was red-faced, tugging on Inuyasha's pant leg, and yelling up at the much-larger half- demon with all his might.  
  
"Calm down brat, she'll show up. Besides, I didn't do a damn thing to her. I haven't even seen her for a couple of hours, so how could I, huh?"  
  
Miroku and Sango had been sitting at the fire, listening to the heated exchange while the dinner simmered. A tantalizing aroma was building in the pot, and both were hungry from a hard-day of travel and unfruitful demon hunting.  
  
"Well," Sango remarked casually, "I think Inuyasha's right this time, Shippo. After we returned to the village today, Kagome said she was going to go for a long walk. She said she needed some time alone to think about what she was going to write on her 'application essay,' for university. I'm not sure what an 'application essay' is, but I know it's important to her. She also told me she's almost completed high school and she seemed happy about that."  
  
At this Inuyasha's ears picked up and twitched. "Almost finished with that damn school of hers? Why didn't the little wench tell me!" Although his voice and words sounded as gruff in regards to Kagome as ever, a note of hurt almost seemed to sound there–almost.  
  
"Well," he added when he noticed Miraku, Sango, and Shippo all staring at him, "If she is almost finished with the school shit, she'll be able to stay here more and we'll find the rest of the damn shards faster, won't we?"  
  
Although he thought this should be enough to satisfy them and himself that Kagome was indeed fine and would indeed be walking through the clearing at any minute, Miroku surprised him by adding "Kagome did seem unusually quiet today. I do think something must be bothering her."  
  
"Hhumph!" was Inuyasha's reply to this. "If the dumb girl has something on her mind, I'll find out what it is. Just give me a minute to go track her down. She's had enough time on her own.  
  
"Yeah," Shippo piped in, "it's getting dark too, and I know you're getting worried about her."  
  
Inuyasha kicked Shippo hard on his rump. "Who said I was worried about her, stupid runt! I'm not worried okay? I'll just go get her so we can get on with things!"  
  
As he turned to leave his comrades around the fire in front of Kaede's hut, he heard the old woman calling to him from a clearing: "Inuyasha, I require help, boy, now." Kaede was bent over and panting, about to collapse under the weight of the bucket she carried.  
  
Inuyasha sprinted over to her and quickly removed her burden. "Why are you out at night with a bucket of stones, hag?"  
  
As she re-gained her breath, Kaede glared at him. "Thank you, boy, for the help with the bucket. The stones are from the well that takes Kagome back and forth from her time to this one. Something happened tonight that almost destroyed the well."  
  
At these words, two things happened. First, there was a moment of deathly silence as the moon and firelight revealed four very pallid, equally- shocked faces. Second, the silence was broken by the crying of a small child:  
  
"Kagome! Kagome! Oh, what happened! Please be alright! Please come back! Whaaa! Whaaa!" Inuyasha slapped the poor, crying kitsune hard on top of his head. "OOOW! Kagome! I WANT KAGOME!"  
  
"Will you shut up you little pest and let her finish the damn story!" Inuyasha was getting jumpy. Something happening to the well, possibly sealing his world off from Kagome's gave him a feeling of dread he didn't even want to allow himself to feel. He willed his heartbeat out of his ears and said, "Kaede, continue telling us what you know."  
  
"I felt an energy emanating from the well the likes of which I have never felt nor seen before. I knew even before I was near that something had happened, I just couldn't tell what by the energy vibrations I was feeling. I ran as fast as I could and discovered that the well has almost completely caved-in. There is so little of the structure remaining and it was destroyed in such a sudden and strange manner that I wanted to bring back these stones to examine for a sign of what may have happened."  
  
"What about Kagome? Did you see any sign of her?"  
  
"But that's why I called for your help Inuyasha, she added, still panting. "When I got to the remains of the well I also found this lying amongst the grass and rocks."  
  
Out of her pocket she produced Kagome's necklace with the vial of jewel shards and handed it to a suddenly very white-faced Inuyasha.  
  
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo came quickly, all worried with the sudden quiet and what Kaede had spoken.  
  
Shippo spoke first. "Inuyasha. . . . he said, tentatively, quietly. "Yeah?" "I TOLD YOU THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG, YOU BIG IDIOT! I SMELL KAGOME'S TEARS ALL OVER THAT!"  
  
Shippo was pointing up at the necklace, tears forming again in his own eyes. Inuyasha tried to control his rapidly accelerating heart-rate as he thought quickly about Kagome. What could have done this? What the hell happened to her? Just as he thought this, a quick, terrible thought came rushing into his mind: Kagome, why were you crying? What did you hear, what did you see?"  
  
What Inuyasha did was utter a single word, "shit." He ran in the direction of the well faster than any of his friends had ever seen him run before.  
  
When he arrived at the clearing, he stood for a moment, dazed, taking in the site of what used to be the Bone-Eaters Well. A fine powder hung in the evening air, he could smell the crushed rock mixed with Kagome's fresh scent–Kagome's fresh, upset scent, salty and tinged with despair. There was something else, the aftermath of a powerful energy pulse also surrounded him, intermingled with dust of rocks. It was the lingering aftershock of a vast burst of energy–Kagome's miko energy, the shards energy, Inuyasha couldn't tell. It surrounded him, and was of Kagome, but what exactly had caused this he couldn't say. Walking quickly to the heaped pile of stones that was now the decrepit well, Inuyasha looked down to see the hole completely filled in with dirt and rock. Fuck, Kagome, What did you do?  
  
Mechanically, without really having a sound rationale for doing so, Inuyasha began lifting the dirt and stones out of the crumbled well's hole. He didn't register his friends coming from behind him until Moroku spoke "Inuyasha–is it –?"  
  
"Don't know." His answer came out as a growl behind barred teeth. After another couple minutes of awkward silence, Inuyasha barked "Are you idiots going to help or just stand there and watch the fucking show?"  
  
Startled, Sango was the first to react: "Of course, Inuyasha. We will all help repair the well. And then we'll–"  
  
"And then I'll damned well get Kagome back here!"  
  
"Of course, Inuyasha," Sango almost whispered her reply.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Kagome lay at the bottom of the well on her side almost in a fetal position. As her face lay in the dust, she let the sobs wrack her body. I am just like this. I am dust. A past with no future, a future with no past. At these somewhat clear, somewhat unclear thoughts, she gave a bitter laugh. This brought her to her senses somewhat, and, with tears still falling freely, she managed to sit herself up and pull her legs in close. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she hugged herself and rocked back and forth for some time, crying a little less, thinking a lot more.  
  
So he made his choice. I cant resent him for that, can I? Really, how can I be such a selfish, self-absorbed creature to feel this kind of immense self-pity? So he doesn't want me, BIG surprise Kagome! So he never will, again, big shocker, huh? He loves Kikyo, he wants, has always wanted to be with her. He never hid that from you, so any thoughts you had about growing closer to him and vis-versa were just a product of your own teenage, stupid, immature, overactive imagination. Oh, I am so pathetic! Okay, so he doesn't want you, so what? Once this quest is over, and the sacred jewel is complete what then? Are you going to sit here in the bottom of this well, waiting to become dust? Come on, stupid, what are you going to do, answer me? Not knowing she had started speaking aloud, Kagome answered herself in emotion tinged with raw anger and hurt: "I'm going to get my life back, that's what, dammit! I'm going to live the life I have left. It'll be gone soon enough anyway, just like Inuyasha and everything I care about–just another part of the past. Until then, well, I'm going to find my way back to living again, whatever it takes!"  
  
Kagome knew it wouldn't be as clean and simple as that. I know they may not need me anymore, but I have this shard . . . Guilt began to stream in from the edges of her mind and threatened to take over. She knew was going to have to face leaving the past and returning to her own time forever at some point. After all, once Naraku was defeated the jewel would almost be complete. It was only a matter of time before she would no longer be needed in her service as a "shard detector," so why did she do it? Why did she grab one shard before she left? Was it out of jealousy? Malice? Desperation?  
  
Kagome felt both guilt and confusion as she tried to sort out the reason for her own actions and was honestly baffled. She couldn't come up with a satisfactory explanation for her actions, even to herself. "Well, one thing's for certain, since I did this, I have to face up to it and fix it, quick." She didn't relish the thought of going back and facing Inuyasha tonight, and her heart quickened with dread and fear at the thought of being confronted by a very-together couple of Inuyasha and Kikyo–even if she was technically just a ghost.  
  
Kagome grimaced at her own, unbidden thought. Would Inuyasha be furious with her? And what of her friends? What would Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede think of her? Surely SOMEONE had found the vial of shards by now, but who? How reckless she had been, in her own misery, just throwing them down like they didn't matter, like they weren't the essence of one of the most powerful and dangerous substances in the universe!? Really Kagome, Inuyasha is right. You are a dumb bitch. Any demon in the area out for a stroll, oh, say, NARAKU maybe, could chance upon them!  
  
She had acted truly cowardly, like a spiteful child. A hot blush of shame rose to her cheeks. Wiping her tear and mud-streaked face and still sniffling terribly, Kagome stood up, dusted her hands on the sides of her skirt, and climbed resolutely out of the well. Once emerged, she stood looking back down to the bottom, clutching the tiny shard so tightly in her hand that it quickly cut into her skin, causing her gasp and release her grasp a little, shocked that the shard had cut a deep, clean slice in the center of her right palm. She could feel the warm, sticky blood pooling in her clenched fist. She wrinkled her nose. No time to think about this now. She wasn't about to mess with first-aide and reasoned that since she had purified all these shards with her miko powers, no matter what kind of gross, disgusting, demon-goo they had been pulled from--they couldn't present a risk of infection.  
  
Okay, no more stalling. It's now or never. Kagome sat down on the edge of the well and draped her legs over like she had done so many times before. Time to make it right. Time to say how sorry I am for acting like an idiot. Kagome closed her eyes, jumped, and hit hard, her legs twisted beneath her and she fell, crying out in unexpected pain. Once again her face and senses were pressed into dust.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Inuyasha's strong suit was not patience. Everyone knew it, everyone was used to it. It was normal, even expected for the hanyou to go from his usual quiet distance and seeming lack of interest in his human companions, to smirking, to quiet simmering, to dangerous smoldering, to guttural growling, and blowing up and yelling at the top of his lungs enraged more quickly than a human could even register consciously they had felt any emotion. This morning, Inuyasha's control was--scary. He paced outside Kaede's hut in circles. Sango sat on a wooden bench outside the door polishing her boomerang and every few seconds looking up, watching Inuyasha with a mixture of amusement and agitation. He pounded a circular path in the dirt and grass, walking to the edge where the village met the forest and back to the same spot in front of Kaede's door every two minutes. Under his breath and in steady time, he grunted and snarled.  
  
Sango had learned the rhythm: pace 1, pace 2, pace 3, pace 4, hhmmrrr!. . . .  
  
1, 2, 3, 4, Hhmmrr!. . . . and so on and on.  
  
After two hours, when her nerves were worn down further than the thread- bare polishing cloth and she could take no more pacing and grunting, she spoke as he came round yet again:  
  
"Inuyasha–" was all she managed to voice before the Hanyou responded:  
  
"HOW MUCH FUCKING LONGER IS IT GOING TO TAKE THOSE TWO! DAMNITTOHELL! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING IN THERE YOU BRAINLESS HUMANS! I WANTED TO TRY THE GODDAMN WELL BEFORE SUNSET!"  
  
With his eruption, he stopped pacing and instead faced Sango, who feared, like the birds flying frantically overhead, that if he had roared any louder he could have blown Kaede's hut down.  
  
Inside, Shippo curled up tight into a ball and shivered. "He can be such an asshole."  
  
"You may be correct," Miroku added in measured tones, "but I expect that he is even more anxious than the rest of us to see if spell Kaede and I have attempted today will work to re-open the portal to Lady Kagome's world. It has, after all, been a month since Lady Kagome returned to her time and the well was somehow damaged."  
  
Knowing perfectly well the furious hanyou could hear every word spoken inside the hut and somehow unflustered by his display, Kaede spoke: "Very well Inuyasha, you may come in and wait if you are able quiet yourself and remain so. We will leave momentarily."  
  
The hanyou crashed through the entryway growling,"It's about damn time."  
  
"Miroku," Kaede continued nonplused, "are you ready to begin the final preparation? All that remains is for us to recite the blessing for passageways and protection at the same time the heated stone is immersed in the purified water and to cool."  
  
Yes Kaede, I'm ready," Miroku nodded and started to speak again, but before he could, Shippo piped up:  
  
"Do you really think it will work Kaede?"  
  
"Let's hope so, young one, let's hope." 


	2. Back to the Future

Divine Interventions Chapter 1–Back To The Future  
  
About an hour later, the group accompanied Inuyasha solemnly to the clearing at the Bone-Eaters well. Kaede stepped forward with her head bowed, clutching the large, smooth, oval-shaped rock in her arms.  
  
"Now we shall see," Kaede said, as she stopped and lowered herself to a kneeling position at the base of the well. She held the stone in front of the purposely unfilled hole and closed her eyes in prayer.  
  
"Oh, get on with it already, hag!" Inuyasha could no longer try to have any hold over his emotions. Anxiety, excitement, fear, hope, and dread all poured over his thoughts, threatening to completely overwhelm him.  
  
"It is done," Kaede said softly. She rose and then turned to walk back with the others, saying over her shoulder "Good luck Inuyasha, may the fates guide you to where you should be."  
  
Without wanting to wait another minute, Inuyasha quickly walked forward. His muscles tensed as he prepared to jump.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Sango called.  
  
"Yeah? What NOW!"  
  
"Please send Kagome my greetings."  
  
"And tell her I can't wait to see her lovely face once more," Miroku quickly added.  
  
"And that I really miss her and want her to come back!" Shippo shouted, almost at the same time.  
  
"Yeah, Yeah, Whatever. I'll tell her when I see her," Dear gods, if I see her, he added to himself. The hanyou grumbled to them with his back turned, and jumped.  
  
Before hitting the bottom of the well, Inuyasha was surrounded by a now familiar feeling of blue light, warmth, and the dizzying sensation of falling without moving. He smiled and was surprised to feel a rush of water pooling in his eyes. "Thank the gods," he said in a relieved sigh.  
  
He emerged in Kagome's time and pulled himself out of the well and walked on the familiar path that lead from the well house to Kagome's home. His heart felt light, as he ran, almost skipped round to the front. Outside he saw Kagome's brother, Sota, from behind.  
  
Although he recognized him immediately, the boy seemed oddly different to him. He was engrossed with singing to himself, horribly off-pitch, Inuyasha noticed, as he appeared to be sloshing water and soap around with a sponge on what he knew was the family's car.  
  
"Hey, Sota!" Inuyasha called.  
  
When Sota didn't respond, Inuyasha called louder, "HEY SOTA!" Still no answer.  
  
The hanyou moved up behind the boy and tapped him with one clawed finger on the back.  
  
"Aargh!" Sota screamed. He swiveled around to find himself staring at a very amused Inuyasha.  
  
"Oh Sota, I knew humans had weak hearing, but yours is worse even than your sister's."  
  
The music Inuyasha could hear blaring out of the tiny cords that hung from the boys ears quickly gave Inuyasha the reason for the boy's deafness. The music was blaring into his ears, loud, unpleasant sounds Kagome called "rock" even though Inuyasha had never known a stone to make sound on its own, unless possessed.  
  
Sota grinned widely and stared at Inuyasha excited eyes. "Inuyasha! Long time no see! Gee, it's great to see you again!"  
  
"Yeah kid, it's good to see you too," Inuyasha smiled slightly at the boy. His genuine warmth really made Inuyasha feel welcome. Now that he faced the boy he surmised what was different. He was now nearly as tall as Inuyasha. There was just a slight amount of facial growth at the base of his chin, a few soft, short hairs. His voice was deeper and his smell was definitely a lot more masculine, the musky smell of pulsing male hormones.  
  
"You're growing up," Inuyasha said matter-of-factly after taking the changes in.  
  
"Well, umm, yeah, I guess," the boy said. He looked down at his feet, suddenly self-conscious and grinning. "You know what? I have a girlfriend now, too." He added this, grinning even larger, looking to the hanyou with what–pride?  
  
"Well. . . . that's great, Sota." Inuyasha figured this is what the boy was hoping to hear. From the look on Sota's face, he did indeed say the right thing. "What does your sister think about this?" Inuyasha asked. Okay, enough time stalling. It's time to get back to Kagome, he thought. He was growing restless making pleasantries with Sota. There was work that needed to be done and the sooner the better.  
  
"Oh I told her last time I spoke to her, about two weeks ago, and she thought it was great, but then gave me the whole 'lecture' about being a gentleman, not rushing into things, blah, blah, blah."  
  
Inuyasha had stopped listening and was frowning. Unbidden fear was quickly being raised. Where was Kagome? "Two weeks ago was the last time you spoke to her?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. We usually talk on the phone more often than that but, she's been pretty busy lately."  
  
"Where is she now, Sota?" Inuyasha asked. Sota could tell by his sudden tone that the hanyou was suddenly very serious, but he didn't understand why.  
  
"Well, at school, of course."  
  
Figures, the stupid girl was always at school. Inuyasha smirked. "Okay then Sota, I'll just wait here for her."  
  
Sota stared at him and his jaw dropped open. "Uh, Inuyasha, that won't work."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"She won't be coming home here. She doesn't live here anymore." 


	3. Reunion

Chapter 2 Reunion  
  
After explaining to Inuyasha that Kagome attended classes at the university, and trying to unsuccessfully to get Inuysasha to agree to let him drive him to Kagome's apartment (he had his learner's permit, and technically he could drive as long as an adult was in the front seat of the car with him, and since Inuyasha would probably count as an adult what was the big deal?) Inuyasha just folded his arms across his chest, shook his long, shaggy white head of hair and said firmly and repeatedly "NO."  
  
Sota was frustrated, but when Inuyasha refused and told him to knock-off the asking, Sota pouted a little, before pulling a map out of the car and showing Inuyasha where they were in relation to the university and the street with Kagome's apartment building.  
  
Taking in the information as best he could, but not sure he really understood, he nodded to Sota that he saw where to go. Sota folded the map up, and although he still seemed disappointed added, "If you look to the northwest you can see the bell-tower of the student union. It has a blue- tile roof you can even see from Kagome's window when the sky's clear."  
  
Before he could say anything else, Sota felt himself jerked suddenly by the back of the shirt and waist. He gasped and saw that in an instant, he was standing on the top of the roof, Inuyasha holding him so he couldn't fall.  
  
"Where Sota?" It was not a question so much as a demand.  
  
Sota pointed and in the distance, Inuyasha could see a dot of blue among other buildings about five miles away. "There."  
  
Inuyasha dropped to the ground and deposited a very surprised but no longer unhappy Sota. "Bye Inuyasha, and good luck!" the boy called after his disappearing form.  
  
Inuyasha smiled as he bounded airborne, quickly toward Kagome. He would have no trouble finding her now. I don't need luck, he thought. Now I'm going to bring Kagome back.  
  
He did find the brown building Sota had described as his sister's with the large symbol "A-9" on the side. The only trouble was, judging from all the tiny square windows and balconies littered with potted plants and bicycles, this building held hundreds of apartments. Now, which one did Sota say was hers? . . . Damn it, in his rush, he really hadn't been listening all that closely.  
  
He would have to do it the way he knew best, take a little time, walk around the perimeter, and smell her out. The only problem was a hanyou walking around the parking lot and sniffing the air every few seconds was bound to attract attention. Inuyasha had noticed a group of laughing, tanned, young men engaged in some sort of a game. The men were without shirts and standing on a sandy plot that seemed totally incongruous amidst the concrete. They were tossing a ball over a net to each other and seemed engrossed in their activity and the music coming from the large metal box lying in the sand beside them.  
  
"Hey!" a tall, skinny blonde called. "You looking for something, dude?"  
  
The game stopped as suddenly the group beheld the strange site that was Inuyasha. The blonde and two more muscular men walked toward Inuyasha. Although the lead boy was smiling, he knew their body language and didn't like it. Territorial.  
  
"Uh, yes. A friend of mine. Her name is Higurashi Kagome. I need to find her."  
  
"You need to find Kagome?" This time it was not the blonde who spoke but a dark haired boy, his face was sunburned and brown and his eyes narrowed as he continued, "Why?"  
  
"Yeah," said the other dark-haired one. "You say you're a friend of hers? How do we know you're just not some kind of a freak?" Before he could answer the blonde spoke again.  
  
"Are you a freak?" You sure look like one? Are you some kind of a weirdo- groupie or stalker because you better leave right now dude if you care about your health."  
  
Suddenly, this had gotten pissy. Inuysaha didn't want to waste anymore time, and the way these scrawny human men--barely more than pups-- were talking, confrontation was unavoidable.  
  
He gritted his teeth, barely reigning in his mounting anger, but thought: What would Kagome think if I hurt a group of human males now? Probably wouldn't be too happy.  
  
With that thought only to control himself, he said "I told you–I am a friend of Kagome's. I am going to see her. Now."  
  
"You're not going to see anyone or go anywhere unless we say it's okay, got it, freak?" The voice was menacing, almost a human growl that came from the first brown-haired one.  
  
"Kagome's our friend. She's like a little sister to us, and she's had way too much trouble from groupie freaks who get fixated on her, so get lost NOW"  
  
"Hey freak," the blonde one chimed in, "she's hot, but she's way, way, out of your league. You better just turn around and go home, whoever you are and whatever you're supposed to be in that get-up."  
  
Inuyasha didn't respond verbally at all. He looked steadily at his attackers His eyes were twinkling with a dangerous glint and every muscle in his body tensed.  
  
"I said get going freak!" the blonde boy taunted again.  
  
Enough was enough. He didn't know what a "groupie" was, or if Kagome was sick from what the boy had said about her being "hot," but he did know from taking a lifetime of abuse from both humans and demons when he was being demeaned and attacked for not being "good enough."  
  
Shit Kagome, sorry about this. Inuyasha growled and then raised his arm.  
  
The humans saw this as a threatening gesture and moved to attack, but before they could barely move the force of his fist punch knocked all three men back and airborne. Their figures lay sprawled on the concrete. The others, watching from the sand, stared at Inuyasha.  
  
"Anyone else want to try to stop me from seeing Kagome?!"  
  
The men were all taken aback by the still growling hanyou. Not knowing exactly who or what he was, but deciding that he was indeed, dangerous, they quickly left, one saying something about "notifying the police," to Inuyasha before he disappeared.  
  
Except for the glaring music still coming from the abandoned boom-box, all was quiet. Inuyasha senses were still working off the adrenaline from the fight. He sniffed the warm, still air. He smiled. He smelled something familiar, something sweet and warm that he immediately wanted again. His heart pounded with anticipation. "Here I come, Kagome, here I come."  
  
He quickly found the entrance and bounded up the stairwell leading to Kagome's apartment. He stood outside the door for a moment, suddenly anxious. She was inside, he could smell her, hear her. Her voice was laughing, mixed with the voice of another female.  
  
It had been awhile since he had seen her. Whatever had set her off earlier, had four weeks been enough time for her to calm down? Was a "SIT" waiting for him as soon as she laid eyes upon him?  
  
What if she had purposefully damaged the well? Until this very minute, he had not allowed himself to even think it was a serious possibility that she really want to see him, maybe not ever again.  
  
To hell with this weak, coward shit. You've wasted enough time already. Since the stupid girl decided to move so you had to waste time tracking her down. Then you had to deal with those human asses, so it's taken you a lot longer than it should to just get this over with. Don't just stand there now idiot! What is it humans do?. . . Oh yeah–  
  
Inuyasha raised his hand and knocked.  
  
"Coming–hold on!" Kagome's voice. "You better not be planning anything too terrible, I'll get you back you know." laughter lilted her playful voice. "Okay, well, someone's at the door, I'll see you tonight."  
  
Kagome H____ opened the door to her apartment and dropped her cell phone. She gasped and her eyes grew wide.  
  
"Inuyasha?!" It was both a question and an exclamation.  
  
"What? How?-- God!!! "It's great to see you!" Her questions broke off as a dazzling smile lit up her face. She rushed at him, and before he could react or respond, she tackled him in a hug and he was drinking in the warm, delicious scent of her hair and skin.  
  
Inuyasha felt blinded by her smile, by her. It was his turn to gape in astonishment, and, as the excited young woman let go of him and stood back to say "God I'm sorry, where are my manners! Please, come in," all he could do was numbly follow.  
  
He turned round to watch her as she closed the door. Kagome? What has happened to you? He looked at his friend, the girl-miko he hadn't seen for four weeks and felt like he was seeing her for the first time. Her lovely blue-black silky hair cascaded down her back, longer than his. In the instant before she turned round, he noticed her curves, the way her tiny waist, merged into gently rounded hips, and the way those tight-fitting pants she called "jeans" hugged every female contour. She spun round to gaze at him and send him crashing into new waves of astonishment. She had always been a pretty girl, but she stood before him now, a completely devastating beauty.  
  
She still looked like Kikyo a lot, yes, but was definitely not as much a copy of her as he had always thought. Her eyes were larger, dusky violet orbs as always, but somehow more startling in depth than before. Her lips were different than Kikyo's too. Kagome's were full and slightly pouty, not thin and delicate like Kikyo's Her complexion was also different. Even alive, Kikyo, had fine, pale, porcelain skin. Kagome's skin was creamy and flawless, but rosy-blushed and vibrant.  
  
What was most startling was not just her outward appearance, but her essence. She stood before him, radiant with a beauty and life-force he had never felt nor seen the likes of before. She almost glowed with the force of her spirit. She emanated depth, power, and something else, a passion-–passion for life.  
  
Looking at her, he felt startled by a rush of emotions that he had didn't know how to place. They were emotions he had not felt since he was a small child with his mother–a feeling of complete and utter happiness.  
  
When did all this happen? Is this NORMAL human growth or just in Kagome's family? Gods, whatever you do, don't check out her breasts, at least right now. Don't be a letch. Keep your eyes up, level with her eyes. God damn it, breathe, you idiot!  
  
"Inuyasha? Are you all right?" Kagome noticed he seemed to be taking her in, adjusting to her and she seemed to understand. She noticed his eyes inadvertently and quickly dart down the front of shirt and back to her face in a split second. She only gave a little smile and didn't get angry as she might have if a complete stranger gave her the "once over" like that.  
  
"It's good to see you too, Kagome." Inuyasha somehow managed (he thought), to keep his gaze and tone level with hers, but his heart was racing. Whatever he had expected, it sure as hell wasn't this.  
  
"Please sit down."  
  
Inuyasha sat on the puffy white leather sofa, and immediately started squirming around, trying to sit comfortably on the impossibly high cushions.  
  
Kagome giggled and when Inuyasha looked up at her, slightly abashed. She sat down beside him and quickly said, "Sorry about the couch. It's my roommates. I really don't like leather furniture either."  
  
Before he could respond, another female voice startled him from the kitchen. "I heard that MISS PETA PRISS!" ( *PETA =People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals–A great animal right's, organization–it just seems like she's the sort of person who would care about animals)  
  
Inuyasha remembered, he had heard another female voice with Kagome's before she opened the door.  
  
"Sorry Clo. It's not a condemnation of you, sweet, just your taste."  
  
"Oh, you're so dead later. I don't even feel bad about what's coming tonight after that."  
  
At this Kagome blanched. The other woman, a petite, very pretty blonde, walked into the room from around the corner holding a glass tinkling with ice and water. When she stopped in front of her roommate and guest, the young woman visibly startled. Kagome quickly made an evasive verbal maneuver:  
  
"Chloe, this is my old friend, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is my roommate, Chloe."  
  
Inuyasha started to rise to allow for formal proper human greetings as he knew were appropriate here, but stopped short. Chloe was looking down at him, a mixture of anxiety and curiosity emanating from her as she stared at the obviously not-quite-human man sitting on her sofa.  
  
"What –?"  
  
"Drama major, senior cast party." Kagome successfully caught and answered the question before it was even fully voiced.  
  
Nervous, relieved laughter escaped the young woman's throat. "Ooh! So nice to meet you Inuyasha! Can I get either of you a drink? I'm headed out in a minute, I've got to get ready for tonight."  
  
"No thanks," both Kagome and Inuyasha almost replied in unison. They looked at each other and both seemed a little surprised. Chloe laughed again and said "I guess you two really are old friends! Well, don't let me stop you two from catching up. I'll just get my purse and be on my way. Kagome, I'll see you tonight."  
  
With that, Kagome leapt up from the sofa, the sharp scent of fresh anxiety quickly rising from her chest. "Clo, wait a sec–I want to talk to you about tonight."  
  
Kagome pulled her roommate by her arm back into the kitchen and closed the door. In hushed tones that Inuyasha had no trouble hearing, she said, "Whatever's up, I know you know, so please, please be my friend and stop toying with me!"  
  
Chloe gave a warm, delighted laugh. "Sorry Kagome," she whispered back, "You'll just have to be a good girl and wait till tonight. Are you bringing your friend there?" Chloe jerked her head in Inuyasha's direction.  
  
"Oh God, NO! No way. I mean, I really want to spend some time talking to him, we have a lot we need to catch up on, but there's no way that I'm gonna bring him and chance–" "Good," Chloe replied. "I think that's probably for the best. Well, I'll see you later, okay, and don't be so nervous. I think you're really going to like your surprise, I mean really like it!"  
  
The two women walked out of the kitchen together and after picking up her purse, Chloe gave Kagome a quick hug. Though Inuyasha could hear Kagome's heart continue to race, she laughed at her roommate and hugged her back.  
  
"I'll see you tonight, then."  
  
"Yes, see you tonight. And Kagome–"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"For once in your life don't be late!" With that Chloe gave Kagome one last smile and left the apartment.  
  
Inuyasha was amused by Chloe's last comment. Running late was not just something she did returning to his time. Apparently it was habitual.  
  
Closing the door behind her roommate, Kagome turned back round to face Inuyasha and took a couple of deep breaths through her mouth to try to slow her heart rate.  
  
"Sorry about that Inuyasha," Kagome said. "We shouldn't have any more interruptions for a little while at least, so we can talk a bit, okay?"  
  
Inuyasha had been annoyed when Kagome left him to go talk to her roommate, but, after hearing their conversation and observing Kagome's reactions, felt more amused than upset.  
  
"It's okay, Kagome," he replied, trying not to let the smile that was playing at the corners of his mouth become evident, at least not yet.  
  
"Inuyasha–"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm really glad you're here."  
  
"Hhmph. Me too." 


	4. Revalations In A TimeWarp

Chapter 3: Revelations In A Time-Warp  
  
Inuyasha still sat beside her on the couch, thinking, trying to will his mind to accept these new circumstances, the "new" Kagome.  
  
How did these changes in her happen and when? Oh well, they would have plenty of time to talk and sort in out once they got back to the Feudal Era. He didn't want to push her much, and make her angry just yet, but her really did want, need to get with her to his time, their friends, and the quest to complete the jewel and defeat Naraku that had been on hold for too long now. She had already cost him a month, and clearly, there was something going on in her time tonight, something she definitely didn't want him to know about. And why was that?  
  
Well, he thought, Maybe we can stay here a little longer. Whatever Kagome doesn't want me to find out about has her pretty nervous as well. Maybe I should let her stay to find out what this "surprise" is, but Kagome has another surprise in store for her if she thinks she can keep me away from whatever it is she's facing tonight. With that thought, Inuyasha gave a little outward smile and grunt.  
  
Kagome turned to him, he saw her eyes suddenly full of anticipation. Her heart was beating too quickly again, faster than before. Whatever was going on in her brain was making her feel nervous.  
  
"So, how's Kikyo?" she asked, a warm smile on her face. Only her heartbeat gave away the calm she was attempting to show.  
  
"How the hell should I know." What was she getting at here?  
  
Kagome looked slightly shocked. "Inuyasha? Is everything alright?"  
  
"Of course it is. Why did you ask about Kikyo?"  
  
"Look, I'm sorry if I have said something to offend you. I just thought that since we haven't seen each other for a while it would be nice to catch- up a bit, okay?"  
  
Inuyasha felt slightly ashamed by his outburst and making her feel as if she needed to apologize. "Don't be sorry, Kagome, you didn't do anything wrong," he said.  
  
"Really? Good!" She visibly brightened again. "So. . . Please tell me. I want to know everything!"  
  
"Like what exactly?"  
  
"Well, like where do you live? Do you still see Sango and Miroku–how are they? Is Shippo okay? I've really missed him and have worried about him too. How's Kaede? Do you and Kikyo have children yet?" Inuyasha chocked and coughed. His face contorted with shock. "CHILDREN!! KAGOME WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?  
  
The look of shock that moved across Kagome's face told Inuyasha at least that she wasn't "playing" any kind of a game, she was genuinely confused.  
  
"Inuyasha," she began quietly, looking down at her hands, "once again I apologize. I keep over-stepping bounds and making assumptions about what you would want to talk with me about. I am truly sorry."  
  
Inuyasha was taken aback once more by her tone and manner. He looked at her face, expecting to see those damnable tears forming in her eyes, but there were none. He said nothing, but watched her. What the hell is she thinking? What should I say now? I don't want to get her all sad again, but what is this?  
  
Before he could say anything else, Kagome looked at him, clearly and intently meeting his stare.  
  
She gazed into his beautiful, golden eyes and felt her heart contract. Oh yes, it's all still there. All the pain, all the feelings. I finally have my chance, after all this time, to make it right.  
  
"Inuyasha," she smiled suddenly with confidence, "I think I know how to make this easier. I'm sorry I didn't understand exactly before but I do now."  
  
Okay, this sounds better, is she finally understanding that we just need to get back and–  
  
Before he could finish this thought Kagome had stood up in front of him. Her body was very close to his. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but she spoke first:  
  
"I know what you want Inuyasha, and more than anything, I want to give it to you–I want you to be happy."  
  
She was leaning down now, her face sooo close to his, her eyes and lips leveled with his and her scent was intoxicating. Inuyasha's heart was racing. Kagome–what– He was too excited to try to think, he could only feel as her arms began to move around his neck. He closed his eyes as he felt her breath on his face, the light touch of her arms brushing against his neck. She straightened her legs and stood above him again, his head was facing, almost embracing her chest.  
  
Then, with his heart still beating beyond his inhuman control, it was over. She was standing over him, holding the rosary that had so long been around his neck and with an angelic smile, holding it before him.  
  
"Here Inuyasha. I'm sorry it has taken so long to release you from this, from me. You are completely free of me now."  
  
Dumfounded and numb, Inuyasha took the beads from the miko's hands. His jaw had dropped open and he hadn't said a word, but was able to start thinking again: Kagome, why?  
  
Still beaming, she looked down at him and continued, "Now wait here, I'll be right back!"  
  
Now that she was finally doing this, making up for her selfish acts and righting things, Kagome was feeling great, better than she had in a very long time. This was hard, sure. Some part of her hurt, still loved Inuyasha, probably always would, but because of that love, the pain of letting go was somehow eased. She knew she was doing what was right. Why not tell him everything? Come on, Kagome, you're almost there, home-free. Get it all out. I don't know how he came back here, but somehow, he managed to get back. You owe him this–all of it.  
  
Kagome reappeared from a room holding a small box. She plopped down on the sofa beside Inuyasha and looked at him, smiling again.  
  
"Kagome, you didn't have to–"  
  
"Ssshh! It's okay, Inuyasha, I did. Now I just have to finish. Before I do, can I tell you something?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded, not knowing what was coming next. Kagome was in complete control and, whatever she was planning next, and he wasn't sure he wanted it to happen. Whatever it was, it couldn't surprise him more than what she had done already. He held the prayer beads in his hands, looking down at them and actually feeling–WHAT?–  
  
Sadness? Loss? How could you feel anything but JOY at getting rid of those damnable beads and that spell? You are finally free, right!? It's not what she did, it's what she said about "releasing me" and me being "free of her" Do I really ever want to be free of her?  
  
"Inuyasha," she began, sand Inuyasha was surprised to note that she suddenly seeming a little shaky again. She was beginning to sweat and felt her heart beat pick up. Oh Kagome, don't loose your nerve now. You've come this far, she made herself calm down and say what she needed to say before she completely caved: "I have a confession to make to you, but I'm pretty sure you know or suspected most of it already."  
  
The hanyou couldn't have looked more startled as she stared at his handsome face. Here goes:  
  
Back when I first fell through the well and came to your time, I was scared–no terrified, about what was happening. I felt so lost, so out-of- control." Kagome gazed down at the rosary in Inuyasha's hand and continued. "After you woke up and I met you, I was even scared of you, at least until Kaede gave me that."  
  
"You had good reason to fear me then Kagome," he said. It was an honest statement and came out softly, almost a whisper.  
  
Kagome could hear the regret in his voice, and didn't want him to dwell on the past she knew he must be thinking about now. "But, "she smiled a little and continued, "As time went on and we, um, well, spent more time together hunting for the shards, I got to know you. Even though every day we faced life-threatening situations and there was always someone ready to kill us, I began to feel safer, safer with you, because of you."  
  
She stopped here and looked down at her hands again, she seemed to be gathering her thoughts, preparing for whatever it was she was going to say next.  
  
"Kagome, you changed a lot after you fell through the well and you changed me too. I think we both changed for the better." Inuyasha felt a lump in his throat. Did I just say THAT? It was hard for him to admit it, but what the hell, somehow it felt right. If Kagome was finally opening up to him, he owed her a little something in return, right?  
  
"Thank you, Inuyasha," she smiled again, "That was a really nice thing to say, but I'm not finished yet."  
  
Damn Kagome, I guess you really are taking charge here, the hanyou thought, amused again.  
  
"Inuyasha, I fell in love with you."  
  
There, she had said it, the very worst of the worst. It was out in the open, and now she could deal with what those feelings had caused, what they had cost both of them.  
  
"I know how silly and inappropriate my feelings toward you were. I was just a silly schoolgirl, and you were my first real crush. Looking back on, I am still quite embarrassed and ashamed about my behavior back then. All those times I got mad at you, SAT you for no good reason, my temper- tantrums every time you spent time with Kikyo and my unbearable jealousy toward her. Inuyasha, I'm so very sorry. I'm sorry about it all."  
  
He heard what she was saying now, but somehow, he couldn't completely let it sink in. He stared at her in amazement, in utter disbelief as he kept hearing the words that she had really said just moments before: Inuyasha, I fell in love with you.–in love with you—love you.  
  
Could she REALLY? Was it possible Kagome could love me? Gods, he wasn't ready to face any of these thoughts about her or himself yet. He knew that he felt something for the girl, and now that he had seen her again, seeing her now, he felt his chest rapidly constricting. He had never wanted anyone else to be close to her but did he love her? Enough to want to make her his? He never believed he could ever deserve to be with someone again, not really, and he had never seriously allowed himself to think that Kagome would ever see him as anything more than a friend. Hell, most of the time, she didn't even act like she liked him all that much. He wasn't prepared to even think about any of this until after everything else was settled. When Naraku was defeated, when the jewel was whole, when Kikyo was at peace, then there would be a time to have this kind of a talk. . . .  
  
. . . .Kikyo. There it was. Whatever he felt toward Kagome, or even now she toward him, he had an obligation to her first. She had died because of her love for him. Even though he didn't kill her himself, even though Naraku was to blame for the misery they both suffered, he had promised to share a life with her before she died. Now he owed her something in her wakeful death, but what? Would he give her his soul when the time came and go to hell with her? Is that what he owed her? Did he still love her? Had he ever truly loved her? This was way, way too much to think about. Inuyasha's head was spinning, and still, Kagome said more:  
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't control my feelings better. I know now how I misinterpreted and twisted every gesture of kindness you showed me. You are a decent, honorable man Inuyasha, and you got stuck with a silly, weak and helpless schoolgirl to protect. Our quest was of the gravest importance to both our times, and instead of being focused, I spent more time fussing and pouting about whether or not you were "nice" enough to me. I know that I put us all in even more dangerous situations because of my daydreams and inappropriate feelings toward you. I'm sorry I was such a damn little idiot back then, I truly am."  
  
She had stopped talking again, and Inuyasha was tense beyond belief. He was breathing, panting quickly really, trying to process her words, to catch up. Yes, a lot of what she was saying made sense, it was true. She did pout and fight with him a lot. She did cause trouble between them when there was no need for it to be so, but had she really been all to blame? Did she just say he was honorable? Shit, what did she mean by that? I like that she feels that way about me, I guess, but . . . .weren't some of the fights his fault? Listening to her confession, he was truly confused. What had gone on between himself and Kagome? What in all the hells was going on now?  
  
Inuyasha had not said a word, not a thing, since she began. What was he thinking? Did he hate her now? God, she hoped not. Home stretch. Tell him the last part and your free, Kagome.  
  
"Anyway, the last time I saw you. . . ." she began again. She didn't notice his eyes refocusing on her incredulously No Kagome, please don't tell me there's MORE! Shit, I don't know if I can take this or what to make of any of it!  
  
But somehow, he could tell by watching the tension on her own face that this was something she had to do. She was getting something painful to her out in the open, and he could tell her effort was costly to her own pride. She was facing some deep shit here, and, as uncomfortable as she was making both of them with all this, he couldn't help but admire her courage to face him with all this. It's a hell-of-a lot more than you could ever tell her, isn't it? The thought came to him unbidden and he resented it.  
  
Quieting his mind, his breathing, and his own resolve, Inuyasha sat back to listen to the rest of what Kagome would say:  
  
"The last time I saw you, you didn't see me. Inuyasha, I went to look for you to tell you something like 'dinner's ready,' but I couldn't find you. I went deeper into the woods and just kept walking. Since there was a full moon I was sure I would spot your coat if you were anywhere nearby. I was about to give up and go back to camp when I saw you standing in the clearing with Kikyo." She stopped again, and now it seemed as though she was beginning to falter.  
  
"Go on, Kagome," Inuyasha gently urged. It was the first time since she began this that he had said anything to her. When she looked at him she could not tell what he might be feeling, but there didn't seem to be any anger in his voice or eyes. Taking that as encouragement, she nodded briefly and continued:  
  
"I didn't mean to spy on you or eavesdrop, Inuyasha, but I heard what you said to Kikyo. I saw the promise you made to her."  
  
She dropped her eyes as a deep blush sped across her cheeks. "Inuyasha, she continued, not looking up now, "When I saw you with her and heard your promises to each other I totally lost my mind and self-control. I know now that I had no right to feel anything like I did, but in my mind there was this terrible sense of pain–loss– even–betrayal." She sunk her head even lower, the shameful memories were so very hard to admit to, even now.  
  
Inuyasha watched her, feeling terrible--horrible, for the pain he knew now for certain he had caused her last month. He had not meant to hurt her, but once again, like so many times before, she had gotten hurt and it was because of him. This time it wasn't her body that was hurt because he left her unprotected in battle, but her very soul. He himself had inflicted those wounds. To hurt her so, even inadvertently was completely unforgivable. Anger and hurt flared in his eyes and Inuyasha clenched his fists. Sensing his body tensing, Kagome looked up, and was startled by the intensity of his emotions.  
  
For the first time since she had began speaking, Kagome was frightened. She knew he was very angry now and was afraid that he wasn't going to give her the chance to finish, so she rushed forward with the rest:  
  
"Inuyasha please! I am so sorry for what I did! I know I had no right to feel anything like I did! I really do understand why you promised Kikyo what you did. Inuyasha, the kind of love you share with her is so very precious and rare. I was a selfish idiot to even imagine myself coming between you. I am so very, very sorry! After I left that night, I realized what I had done. I knew I made a mistake and how very wrong I treated you. I tried to come back to apologize then to both you and Kikyo. I tried to come back through many times, but the well wouldn't let me through. All this time I have wanted to make things right, I swear it. If you can't ever forgive me, I completely understand. All I want to do now is give you this back to you."  
  
Still angry at himself for what Kagome had just confirmed had happened to her the night she left, Inuyasha raised his eyes and steadied his gaze on her as she handed him something. He remembered now, she had left to go get this box and now was giving it him. Inuyasha didn't understand the meaning of the last things she said. Why was she asking for his forgiveness? She was blaming herself again for this? Still very upset, he glanced down at her hands and the box she was holding out to him. Wordlessly, he took it from her and with an angry sigh opened the lid, a tiny single shard of the Shikon jewel glittered up at him from the box's black velvet lining. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her quizzically.  
  
"Kagome, why are you doing this?" He asked this but was beginning to understand, finally, what the girl had been getting at. She was quitting the quest, had already quit it when she left the rest of the shards behind and almost destroyed the well with her anger and burst of miko energy. He now felt certain that she must have done that on purpose, but he wanted, needed to hear her say it, and he braced himself for the words he was terrified but accepted he would now hear, that she never wanted to see him again:  
  
"I can't believe you are asking me that, Inuyasha!" He could hear the hurt in her voice.  
  
Inuyasha stood up now and lowered his eyes again, waiting for the rest:  
  
Kagome stood up too and suddenly began to pace a little, acting almost--  
  
Was she nervous about telling him this?  
  
"After the way I treated you and Kikyo. Oh God, I know she must hate me! I would hate me too! Having her mate bound in any way to another woman through that damnable rosary and after all this time not being able to complete the jewel because I got myself stuck here with the last remaining shard that belongs to you and her–"  
  
He looked up at her in utter shock again. "Kagome, you think Kikyo and I are mates?"  
  
"After all this time you're not Inuyasha?"  
  
"I haven't even seen her since that night. The last thing she said to me was that I wouldn't see her again until after we defeated Naraku."  
  
"You mean he's STILL out there?!"  
  
"Kagome, we haven't found a damn shard since you left! Everyone's been waiting, hoping that somehow we'd find a way to bring you back so we could all continue searching."  
  
Kagome's color completely drained from her face. She gasped and grabbed onto a chair arm to steady herself. "Inuyasha, what happened to the shards I left behind in my necklace?" The panic in her voice was mounting.  
  
"Kaede has them, she promised to keep them safe until you returned and Miroku, Sango and I have been helping her guard them."  
  
"You mean nothing has happened in all this time?"  
  
"Kaede and Miroku fixed the well." "After all this time that's all?"  
  
"Yes, Kagome? Are you hard of hearing? He knew he didn't deserve to be angry NOW, but even in ending their relationship–if that's what you could call it–this girl was sooo aggravating! It's been a whole month and we have found no new shards."  
  
"It's been. . . . a month?" Kagome repeated, dumfounded.  
  
"Yes, dammit, a MONTH!"  
  
"No, that's not right." Kagome's face seemed even paler than before and Inuyasha had enough of being excited, shocked, surprised, and scared for one day. After all this, he desperately didn't want to loose her again like this, but it seemed she was tormenting him now. Why wouldn't she just get on with telling him to leave his life forever already?  
  
"Well it is true Kagome and you and I both damn well know it. I haven't seen you for a whole month!"  
  
"It hasn't been a month Inuyasha. It's been two years. Two years exactly to this very day."  
  
********************************************************************  
  
It was Inuyasha's turn to blanche. He didn't think anything else could shock him today, but oh, the fates proved him wrong yet again.  
  
He grabbed Kagome's arm, forcing her up, to look at him fully. Her arm hurt where he held her skin, pressing too hard, she knew she was probably bleeding but didn't flinch. She focused on the sensation of his warmth, his nearness, his hand gripping her arm, rather than allowing the pain through.  
  
Inuyasha took in her beautiful, shocked face and wide eyes, searching for an answer.  
  
"Kagome? . . .It's true? . . . two years?"  
  
"She nodded wordlessly and lowered her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice the unbidden tears that now, finally, threatened to flow. This day, seeing Inuyasha again, telling him the truth, all of it– was just too much. She was emotionally drained. Realizing how tightly, too tightly, he had been holding her arm, he quickly loosened his hold, grimacing the at bruise that was spreading on her arm and the fresh smell of her blood flowing from where he had scratched her and her wet tears.  
  
"Kagome, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry!"  
  
His words surprised Kagome but not more than his actions. He swept her closer into his arms and chest, hugging her tightly. If all of this was too much for him, what must it have been like for her? Looking at her now, he understood how she had changed into a woman in his absence. He felt himself regretting so many things he had done and not done, including not being able to watch her and watch over her as she matured in every way during these last two years. Everything he had seen, had heard from her today confirmed it. She was not the same girl he saw only a few short weeks ago. He had an urge to ask her now about her life, what it had been like since she left, and in a rush of sudden understanding, realized the reason for her earlier barrage of questions about their friends, his life, and hell–even if he had children! By his reckoning, she was now probably about his age-equivalent in human years, but he didn't know exactly. In any case, she had somehow lived two years of life when he had only lived a month. He needed a little while, yes, a little time, just to catch up. Please, don't let her push me away now, Inuyasha thought.  
  
They continued to embrace. Neither of them wanted to move. Kagome listened to the strong, steady rhythm of Inuyasha's heart, and felt peace, contentment, and safety that she had not felt before. He held her and felt her breathing return to normal as her slow, almost silent tears fell less and less. He never wanted to let go of her, never again.  
  
Finally, she pulled back away, enough so that she could look up at him again.  
  
Wiping her eyes, she smiled a little self-consciously and said "Thank you."  
  
"For what Kagome?"  
  
"For comforting me just now, for coming to find me, and, most of all, for not hating me, at least, I hope you don't hate me."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head at the young woman in his arms "hate you? Kagome, I could never hate you."  
  
"Can you ever forgive me though–for all my mistakes in the past?" Her wide eyes looked at him, scanning his face, anxious. He had a very strong desire to pull her close and kiss her lovely parted lips, but thought better of it. No, there have been more than enough changes to deal with for one day! He chided himself at his less-than-innocent thoughts toward the woman in his arms.  
  
"Oh Kagome, don't be an idiot!" He smiled at her, actually smiled at her. It was beautiful and gentle and warmed his face. She was so grateful for that smile, so happy, she unabashedly, pulled close to him and hugged him again very tight, fresh tears now falling from her eyes, this time tears of relief and happiness. After all this time, she hadn't lost him after all, he was still her friend. Speaking into his shirt, she said, "Thank you, Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha drunk more of her sweetness and unseen to her, smiled more fully and happily than he had ever smiled in his life.  
  
"Well,. . ." she said, after several more blissful minutes, "I guess we both gave each other a few surprises today!" Kagome laughed a little, but also pulled back again, this time moving away from his arms and looking a little self-conscious.  
  
"Kagome, there's a lot to think about."  
  
"Yeah, you're right about that. I guess we both have been mixed-up by this, and it's going to take some time to sort out."  
  
"Are you ready to begin now, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked gently. He was hoping he wasn't pushing too much, but also hoping she would be ready to go with him now.  
  
"What do you mean, ready?" She asked neutrally.  
  
"To go back now."  
  
Back now. What IS he talking about. Wait a minute . . . surely he couldn't mean--  
  
Before she could finish pondering, he was handing her the box back. "I think you should keep this and put it with the other ones when we get back." His gaze upon her was steady and sure, like his voice.  
  
God! After everything that's happened today, after EVERYTHING I told him, he still wants me to come back with him and resume shard hunting?  
  
"Inuyasha–"she started, looking down at the floor, "I'm sorry, I can't go with you."  
  
The silence that followed lasted one, maybe two minutes–but to both of them it felt like a chasm of hundreds of years had just cracked the floor open, right between them where they stood.  
  
"Kagome, I told you, nothing has changed. The quest continues. We still need to find the shards."  
  
"Yes Inuyasha, I understand, but everything has changed for me, Inuyasha. I have a very different life now that I had when I was just a schoolgirl. I can't just pick up and LEAVE!" She didn't want to do this, but she had to make him understand.  
  
"Of course you can, wench! This "university" just a new school." Honestly, what was she making such a fuss about now.  
  
Kagome was taken completely aback. She had actually forgotten what it felt like to do this with Inuyasha, this thing they used to, this arguing. NO ONE had called her a "wench" or a "bitch"–she mentally winced at that word– for two years either.  
  
"This is not just a new school, Inuyasha (she was tempted, sorely tempted, to call him an "idiot" now, but couldn't quite bring herself to do it). I'm in an advanced medical studies program now. Do you have any idea what that means?" Inuyasha shook his head but she wasn't really asking anyway.  
  
"It means," she continued defensively, that I was one of four students from a group of 2000 applicants to be accepted as a medical student without first earning a bachelor's degree. In other words, Inuyasha, I was awarded a high honor and I'm training to become a doctor now. Besides that, I also have a roommate, other friends, this apartment, a job, and other obligations that I can't just walk away from. I really am sorry, but–"  
  
"Fine Kagome. I knew you were going to quit."  
  
"INUYASHA! Didn't you just hear ANYTHING I said?"  
  
"I heard a bunch of excuses for breaking a promise."  
  
"Shit!" Kagome thought, "Of all the things he could have said now, and after all this TIME. Oh honestly, what am I SUPPOSED to do here? He has no idea of the position he's putting me in. . . . I have made other promises now, but how can I ever explain to him about my life now, what's happened. . . ."  
  
"Inuyasha, I don't want to break my promise to you, I truly don't! What do you expect me to do, just put my life on HOLD for you?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The single word answer shocked her more than she thought it should have. She stared at him in silence "I can't believe he just said that, so calmly. What an arrogant–"  
  
"I expect you to do this," he continued, his voice still dead-calm, "but not just for me. Many lives are depending on stopping Naraku, maybe not just in my time. I thought no matter what, you would care about that."  
  
He was right. Kagome was stung deeply by his words, but he was right, she had a duty in the past just as much if not more important than any of her duties now. She looked down at the floor, and breathing deeply, allowed her mind to accept it. After all this time, he was back in her life. So too was the other truth she had been running from, her sworn duty as protectress of the shikon-no-tama.  
  
Determined not to sound defeated or burdened by the duties that were her birthright, she raised her head and met his eyes. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry. I will not run from my duty. I'll go back with you." She had no way of knowing how she was going to make this work, only that somehow, she was going to have to.  
  
Inside Inuyasha was so tense, so frightened of losing her, he was shaking. On the outside, he slowly unfolded his arms from across his chest and allowed himself to close his eyes for an instant to gather his composure and not shout for joy or gather her back in his arms. "Let's go."  
  
"Inuyasha,, wait. I will go back, but I can't just leave like this. I need to make some arrangements and that's going to take some time."  
  
"How much time?"  
  
"After tonight, okay?–I have to make a lot of phone calls, right away, to the university offices before they close for the evening. I have to get transfer enough money out of my bank account to cover my half of the rent here so Chloe won't kill me, and I have somewhere I have to be tonight-- I have to go to work.  
  
"Just call work too and tell them you can't come anymore," he said matter- of-factly.  
  
"Uh, no. . . .that won't work. I promised that I would be there tonight, it's kind of special, and everyone is expecting me to be there.  
  
Inuyasha watched her but didn't say anything. Why was she smelling anxious again? He leaned his head to one side and looked at her skeptically. He hadn't forgotten about this, but was hoping with so much said between them now, she would trust him enough to tell him about whatever it was that was happening tonight.  
  
"Look, Inuyasha, there's someone I really need to talk to and explain why I'm leaving."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Just someone!"  
  
"Someone" was a lie. Kagome was lying to him, he could tell by her voice, her smell, and her racing heart. He watched her smiling calmly at him.  
  
"I know what Inuyasha, you go back first, and I'll come tomorrow morning, okay?"  
  
"No."  
  
"NO?"  
  
"No."  
  
Inuyasha! Why are you being so difficult?!"  
  
Why are you lying Kagome? He wasn't about to let this go now.  
  
"The well never disrupted the times between our worlds before. It's too dangerous to be separated now. We need to go back together." "Well, it's true," he thought, "and I don't think even she's gonna argue about it."  
  
"You're right." When exactly did he get so damn smart? Maybe I've always underestimated him in that way . . . ."You can stay here and wait for me to get back. Then we'll leave together."  
  
"I'll just come with you."  
  
"NO!" Damn! She had gone and done it, spoken a little too loudly, a little to quickly. I better cover before he gets suspicious.  
  
His eyes narrowed and he could feel himself getting. . . what? Angry? Excited? Oh Kagome, so you want to play with me now? His human side could sense her discomfort, but his demon side was getting very worked up about her lying to him and didn't give a damn about her comfort now.  
  
Kagome started talking fast: "I mean, look my work is really BORING and I don't have any clothes for you to change into that would blend. People would ask too many questions and even though you are a very striking half- demon Inuyasha, you would definitely attract too much attention, so just relax here. There's cold drinks in the refrigerator in the kitchen, just like at my mom's house, and, I KNOW! I can even make you a bowl of ramen before I leave, okay?"  
  
Inuyasha could tell that if she didn't get her heart rate under control quickly, she was going to faint.  
  
Did she actually compliment my looks? Shit! She did! She did that AND offered me my favorite food in one breath? Oh, this is just too good.  
  
He smiled in what he hoped was a conciliatory gesture and said "Sure Kagome, I'll wait here for you if that's what you prefer."  
  
She let out a breath of relief that she knew was too loud and noticed with mild alarm, his smile. Funny, I've never really seen the resemblance to his brother before, but when he smiled just now, he looked a lot like Sessshomaru.  
  
This thought disturbed her and flickered on her face for the briefest instant.  
  
Inuyasha noticed it and knew this emotion right along with all the other he was reading from her now that his demon senses were excited. He managed to make his face more passive, and watched Kagome instantly relax. This is too easy.  
  
"Okay then, I'll fix your ramen, make some calls, and get ready to go."  
  
"Kagome, can I ask you one thing?" He knew he had managed to make it sound innocent.  
  
"Sure, what?" "You mentioned tonight was 'special.' Why?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing really. Tomorrow is my nineteenth birthday, that's all. I'm sure my friends have planned some sort of 'dumb' surprise."  
  
The "dumb surprise" part he did not doubt. What he marveled at was that it was her birthday–the night before–and she wasn't even going to mention it. Suddenly, he was taken aback with a new rush of feelings. It was her birthday the last time you saw her, too. Remember she said it was 'two years ago to the day' I had seen her last? Damn Kagome, what kind of a seventeenth birthday did you have because of me?  
  
One thing was certain, he wasn't planning on ruining this birthday for her, but he knew that wasn't what she wanted so desperately to keep from either. The little secret, whatever, whoever, it was she was trying to keep from him, he had every intention of discovering whether she liked him knowing or not. Run with your lie, Kagome. Run and hide, little rabbit.  
  
The hunt was on. 


	5. Hanyou Hunting

Chapter 5 Hanyou Hunting  
  
After an hour on the phone, Kagome was given a full withdrawal from all her classes without any damage to her academic records. Luckily, since it was just the beginning of spring term, classes had just started this week. It was still early enough to withdraw without penalties even though she wouldn't get a tuition refund. She explained in calls to the official in academic records and the dean of the health sciences college that she had somehow caught hepatitis C. She was feeling terribly weak, and needed time to rest at home and deal with the side-effects of the heavy medications she would be taking to repair the liver damage she now had. Shit! I've gotten too good at lying. I don't even think grandpa would have thought up this illness!  
  
The sympathy Dr. Venti and the academic records lady expressed made her cringe with guilt:  
  
"Kagome, don't worry about a thing. When you have medical consent to return to school, you can pick up right where you left off. The important thing is you getting better."  
  
"You're one of my star students, Higurashi. I want you well and back on your feet, so you follow doctor's orders and recover. Are you up to calling Austin and telling them you won't be there for the summer program? . . . "  
  
The dean was right. She would have to call the University of Texas and let them know she was going to have to decline the scholarship. This was one of the most difficult things to give up. She had been looking forward to going back to the states and was so thrilled when she was accepted into the summer seminar on nanotechnology and molecular medicine. Oh well, easy come, and now, easy go. She would also have to call Paul, but could put off those phone calls until tonight after she came back to the apartment. After this, she called the bank and arranged for the funds the next six months of her rent and utilities to be transferred to the apartment's management account, using up a sizable sum of her grandfather's inheritance to do it. She also made calls to other friends, using the same lie about hepatitis so things wouldn't get too complicated or raise suspicions if anyone at school asked about her.  
  
As Kagome sat on her bed making these calls from her room, Inuyasha waited, content to give her some "privacy" as he listened to her through the closed door telling her lies to humans. He actually didn't mind waiting on her now, and was in a good mood, knowing that soon they would be returning to his home. Even sooner, however, he was going to find out what Kagome was hiding from him. I don't care what she tells anyone else, as long as she isn't lying to me. Again he smiled to himself, a predatory, dangerous smile.  
  
After she finished her calls, she had a call from the campus police, calling to "check-in" after a disturbance in front of her building with a strange man had been reported. Assuring the officer that she was fine and that no, she hadn't seen anyone like that but would be extra careful, she hung up the phone and shook her head. God, how much trouble would he get into if he stayed in her time for more than a few hours or days?  
  
She didn't know exactly what had happened outside, but she was sure the rumors were already flying, with her name at the center. She could imagine her frustrated hanyou running into some of the undergrad guys who lived in her building. As a group, they were nice enough, and Kagome's age, but very immature and way too macho to even consider dating. "Macho–Immature–Aren't those words you could use to describe someone else you know and like VERY much?"  
  
Kagome showered and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve blouse to hide the ugly bruise on her arm. It didn't hurt much, but she winced when she looked at it. "Inuyasha would never hurt me. He just didn't remember his own strength. Still," she thought, "I wish I didn't take the rosary off of him". She honestly didn't think she needed any protection from him, but the rosary at least had given her some control. She smiled and shook her head when she thought of all the times she had over-used it, the times that she strung many, many, "sits" together just to make sure he would be eating dirt for a good, long time. "Oh, you were a spiteful little thing back then. I guess it is better this way, I think I'm a little power-hungry."  
  
After she dressed, she smiled at Inuyasha and told him she had things taken care of. She went into the kitchen to fix a bowl of ramen for him, and stayed in the kitchen longer than she needed to, busying herself with tidying up and putting away dishes.  
  
Inuyasha watched as Kagome emerged from her room and moved to the kitchen, quickly putting distance between them again. She looked and smelled incredible, her wet, fragranced hair hanging in heavy waves around her face. Inuyasha stared, trying not to be too obvious, but mesmerized by her looks, her smile, her fluid body movements. "What happened to the clumsy, funny, girl-child? How did she become this woman, so sure of herself?" He thought. He noticed the change in her mood as soon as she came out of her room. She wasn't particularly anxious anymore, "Now that she thinks her secret is safe." No, it was something else. Kagome seemed, what? Shy? When he followed her into the kitchen, she definitely tensed, just a little, but he could sense it.  
  
What the hell was her problem now?  
  
"Here Inuyasha. I hope you like it, "she said, smiling brightly as she handed him the steaming bowl.  
  
"Thanks," he said sitting down at the small kitchen table. He watched as she smiled again, then, quickly turned around to face the pantry.  
  
"If you want more while I'm gone," Kagome continued, "I've left the kettle with hot water on the stove, and here are some more packages. Just fill them to the top and let them sit for a few minutes before you eat them."  
  
Inuyasha stopped eating and looked up at her. He shook his head and decided that he wasn't going to put up with this "shy act" of hers any longer either. "Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
Kagome startled. "Nothing! Why?"  
  
"You're acting weird. –shy."  
  
"Ohh." She looked down, now actually beginning to blush a little.  
  
"It's nothing, Inuyasha, really. It's just that well, it's been a long time and . . . .we don't really know each other all-that-well anymore."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her, growing red. Is she fucking kidding! After all we've gone through together, hell, after all she said TODAY now she has the nerve to say we don't really know each other!?  
  
He kept his voice measured. "Kagome, I know we haven't talked about everything yet, but we will when we get back, okay?"  
  
"Um, sure, I'd love to talk to you more later." Kagome fidgeted with a drawer, opening it and closing it, not looking up at him.  
  
Oh, he wanted to yell at her now. YOU are the one keeping secrets, bitch, not me! He didn't say it though, and was actually proud of his self- control. "You'll be fine when we get back again. You'll see, nothing has changed."  
  
He meant the words to be comforting, to reassure her. He didn't expect her response.  
  
"Nothing has CHANGED! God, Inuyasha. Everything has changed. I'm not the same as I was back then and you do not know me! I don't know you anymore either. I feel like I'm leaving my life and everything I know for shadows and I'm not sure it's wise." She felt nervous admitting this, but he just couldn't let well-enough alone. They were doing fine, she thought, probably better than expected given the circumstances. She met his eyes and was devastated to see the effect of her words on him.  
  
"I am a stranger to you, Kagome? You don't trust me anymore?" The questions sounded of sorrow, his voice was heavy and cold.  
  
Inuyasha, her hero, the man who had saved her life countless times, who had proven by his actions over and over that he was her friend, the man who was her first love and first heartache, sat in front of her deeply hurt by her words and actions.  
  
She didn't know what to do to make him feel better. What he said wasn't entirely un-true, but it wasn't exactly what he thought either. Like it or not, she couldn't just pretend that everything was the same. Far too much had happened since the last time she had been in the feudal era. But more than any of this, Kagome knew what lay at the root of the problem, and knew this was something she could never tell him: "After all this time, I'm still in love with him. I trust him completely with my life, it's my heart I'm afraid for. How can I protect my heart from him?"  
  
"Inuyasha, No! Of course I trust you! I'm sorry I made it sound like I didn't. I didn't mean that. You were right, I am nervous, but I'll adjust. Don't worry about it, okay?"  
  
She hoped what she said sounded convincing and was enough to make him feel better. None of this, not any of it, was his fault, and she didn't want him feeling bad over her problems ever again.  
  
"I really have missed everyone. It'll be great to them all again, especially sweet, little Shippo."  
  
At this Inuyasha glanced up at her and smirked. "Shippo, SWEET?"  
  
"Of course he's sweet. He's darling. And I am glad that he hasn't had a chance to grow-up too much while I've been gone. I'll get him some fresh chocolate while I'm out."  
  
Inuyasha was relieved. For a moment, he felt close to tears himself. He thought she had changed her mind about coming back again, and her words were like a slap. He looked at the young woman watching him, concern and comfort for him reflected in her beautiful eyes. Shippo hasn't changed Kagome. No one in my time, including me, changed. The only changed one is you. You're coming back only because I made you feel you have to. It's true, we do need your help, but I also need your-- I need– Kagome, are you still my friend?  
  
Kagome glanced down at her watch "Oh no! I'm running late again! I've barely got enough time to make it, so I have to now, okay? Make yourself comfortable and I'll see you soon!"  
  
With those words Kagome did something else that completely shocked the hanyou. She bent over him, gave him a hug and a quick, light kiss on the cheek, part of her lips connecting with the corner of his stunned mouth. She hurried out the kitchen and he heard her close the door behind him. His eyes wide with shock, he reached up and touched the warm, moist spot on his face where her lips had been just seconds before. His heart was starting to pound in his chest and his mouth dropped open in a smile.  
  
"Oh Kagome, I think I'm going to like this new you!"  
  
He waited exactly two minutes and left the apartment through the kitchen window. He spotted her quickly walking across the parking lot. She was stopped for a moment by a group of people, and from what he heard, some of the men where the ones he "met" earlier. He listened as Kagome acted shocked and relieved that the "scary-sounding guy" didn't find her. "Hhmmph!" he grunted. "That's what she thinks."  
  
To his luck, she didn't get in a car, which would have made tracking her a bit trickier. She stayed on sidewalks and walked in front of many small shops and restaurants, waving at people and giving greetings as she hurried. He could tell she wanted to run, but in her spiky-heeled shoes, didn't attempt it. Stupid girl! How do you expect to get anywhere like that? He thought about swooping down from the rooftop where he now watched her wait to cross a street and grabbing her up in his arms to take her wherever her work was, but decided to stick with his original plan. It was getting dark out, and the area of town she was now in was heavily congested with cars and people. Noises of all kinds assaulted Inuyasha's ears–car horns and breaks, people shouting, laughing, a child crying, several different kinds of music blaring from car radios with open windows. Kagome didn't seem to mind any of this, but Inuyasha frowned and thought again of how much more pleasant nights were at home, where, beside from the occasional vicious demons screaming in the night, everything was still, quiet and the air smelled a lot better.  
  
Kagome crossed the street and was absorbed into a human mob. Hundreds of young people, all dressed in strange fashions were standing in a group, waiting like swarming ants to get into the building they stood in front of. Inuyasha jumped closer and strained to keep an eye on Kagome. He was a little surprise to see how well she was able to move in the swarm.  
  
"Excuse me," she said sweetly, "I need to get by." She gently touched people on the shoulder or arm while making her "excuse me's," moving quickly to the front. Several people in the group recognized her, and called her name, she looked back to smile and wave in the direction of each person. Finally, he could see her no more and knew she was inside her work.  
  
Inuyasha deftly joined the throng on the street and tried Kagome's maneuver: "Excuse me, I need to get in," he said in a voice that sounded reasonable and pleasant to his ears.  
  
"Hey, buddy! What are you trying to do?"  
  
"You gotta wait in line like everyone else, so quit shoving!"  
  
Kagome's way didn't work. "I SAID I needed to get in, now PLEASE get out of my way!" Sweeping his arms in front of him, Inuyasha pushed several people in front of him into others, and, like dominos, they are started falling over, tangling up with each other as they came down.  
  
"Hmmph! Stupid Humans! I said PLEASE!"  
  
He was at the front of the entrance, stepping down a set of stairs into waves of loud sound and darkness. Suddenly, two very burly men in jeans and black t-shirts stood with their arms crossed in front of him.  
  
"SIR. I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave."  
  
More of this shit? Great. "I'm not going anywhere, jerk!"  
  
"This is a private party tonight sir, and you're not on the list."  
  
"I don't need to be on your stupid list. I'm here with Kagome." He didn't know why, but he thought that he might get somewhere with this. "First try this, then ass-kick my way in."  
  
The men looked at each other and back at Inuyasha, skeptically. "Look, go get her if you don't believe me, tell her Inuyasha's here."  
  
"I'm sorry sir, but it's not possible to disturb Miss Higurashi now. You'll have to leave."  
  
No problem, time for plan "B." Just as he was about to swing, a young woman grabbed one of the men by his arm and started to talk to him about the "left spotlight."  
  
"Hey, Chloe!" Inuyasha got her attention and her head turned round. He noticed that she was hiding her pale blue eyes behind some sort of dark glasses.  
  
"Oh, hi! It's Inu-yosha, right?"  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
"Right. You umm. . . . decided to come for the show tonight?" Inuyasha could tell by the young woman's voice, she wasn't too happy about seeing him now, and that made him smile.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't miss it!"  
  
Chloe gave a defeated sigh and said, "It's okay guys, let him in"  
  
The two guards immediately parted, allowing Inuyasha to walk down the last step and stand by Chloe. Chloe grabbed his arm and said, "Come on, Inuyasha, I'll show you to a table." 


	6. The Sign

Author's notes: This is a warning to song-fic haters: There are some songs (not a whole lot, but enough) in several places throughout this story, including this chapter. Songs quoted here include "The Sign," by Ace of Base, "Follow Your Heart," by Jewel, and "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles.  
  
Chapter 6 The Sign  
  
He walked with her into the dark room. Music was blaring from all directions, he could feel the beat reverberating through his chest. Strange lights swirled on the black ceiling, criss-crossed with large, metal tubes. The lights flashed and spun, and small spheres of silver glass sent myriads of white light-points floating in circles around the walls and floor. Chloe moved him past people standing, holding drinks. She moved him past a flat, wooded surface where people seemed to be in pairs, groups, and alone, moving their bodies to the music they heard. From what he knew of things Kagome had told him, this was dancing in her time. He thought it looked strange and his sense of smell was accosted by the stench of too many bodies packed in too close. Sweat, perfumes, and the smell of hundreds of half-naked humans was making him dizzy. He stopped to look for Kagome in the maze of people, but he couldn't see her or even smell her in this mess.  
  
Chloe seemed to notice he was having trouble walking and held his arm a little tighter.  
  
"I know! It's crazy here on Friday nights! Tonight's even worse because of Kagome's surprise! Don't worry Inuyasha, were almost there!" The woman guided him to a small table in a corner with three black chairs. "Here you go. Miranda will be around soon to take your drink order. All drinks are on the house tonight and no-one's carding. Have fun and enjoy the show!"  
  
Inuyasha looked up at her and said thank-you. He had no idea what she had just said to him, but decided it didn't matter. He sat and watched the crowd move around him, feeling like he was trapped in a hive of buzzing bees. "The only person I know who would like this is Miroku. So many women, so little clothing." He snorted at this thought and was aware of a thin, young woman standing over him.  
  
"Yeah? What do you want?"  
  
"Uh, your drink order sir?  
  
"Tea."  
  
The woman stood there, dumbfounded. She would have laughed, but something about this guy gave her the creeps.  
  
"Sir–"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We don't serve tea."  
  
Inuyasha thought this was very strange. "How about sake? Do you serve sake?"  
  
"Yes, yes, right away." The woman wrote something down on a small piece of paper and rushed away into the crowd.  
  
Sake wasn't his favorite drink, but it was fine. He really didn't care what he drank or if he drank. He was getting frustrated at still not seeing or sensing Kagome. Maybe she was actually telling the truth about something, maybe her "work" is boring. With that thought he began to wonder what kind of "work" Kagome did. She never actually mentioned it, she only bragged that she was good at it."  
  
Did she bring drinks to people like the skinny girl? He didn't think so because he hadn't seen her yet. At that moment, something pricked at the edges of his senses and his right ear twitched and swiveled in the direction of a familiar voice.  
  
Kagome was so upset she wanted to pull out Chloe's hair, one by one. "He's HERE!? You let him in HERE!?"  
  
"Kagome calm down. What was I supposed to do? He was at the door with Jake and Ricky and he didn't look like he was going to take 'no' for an answer, so yeah, I seated him at our regular table.  
  
Kagome looked white and green at the same time.  
  
"Hey! It's alright," Chloe soothed, "I mean, come on, you said he was an old friend of yours, right?"  
  
"Yes, he is a friend. A very, very dead friend. This isn't good Clo."  
  
"Oh Kagome, how bad can it be? It's your party tonight and your friend wanted to be a part of it. Personally, I think you should cut the guy a little slack. He's kind-of cute in a strange way. What does he look like out-of-character?"  
  
Kagome ignored her last friends remark and walked out of the dressing room and up on the stage. She lifted back a corner of the heavy stage curtain and looked to the left corner of the room with dread. Shit, shit, shit! Of all things, why this!  
  
"I can't believe that big jerk lied to me! Oh Inuyasha, you're in so much trouble with me!"  
  
It was all he needed to home-in. Her anger was undeniable. Inuyasha gave a hearty laugh and scared the young woman who was in the act of pouring a cup of sake and setting it before him. She was so frightened, she spilled some on the table. She said "sorry" and quickly left, visibly shaken.  
  
"Oh, so I've lied to you, Kagome? Is that how it is? You know whose in trouble don't you, little girl!"  
  
Kagome stepped back and let the curtain drop, sobbing. Chloe heard her and gave her a hug from behind. "Hey! It's going to be alright! You're just having a case of the nerves, birthday girl!"  
  
Kagome didn't want to smear her make-up and was upset with herself for getting so un-nerved. "I'm going out there and talking to him."  
  
"Is that a good idea?"  
  
"Probably not, but if I can get him to leave somehow, it'll be worth it."  
  
Not giving herself time for second thoughts or to acknowledge the flight response that was building in her stomach, Kagome marched out the door that lead to the side of the dance floor and the club front.  
  
She didn't care if she was rude as she pushed past people now, she needed to get to Inuyasha, now.  
  
He could feel her and smell her coming before she even got close.  
  
When she was almost at the table, he looked down, pretending to be engrossed in his cup of sake and not noticing her.  
  
"Inuyasha!" She stood directly in front of him, looking down at his seated figure.  
  
He glanced up slowly. "Hi Kagome, so this is your work? It's loud."  
  
She stood above him, taking deep, angry breaths. She glared down at him, her hands tightly fisted at her sides. Inuyasha saw all of this, knew what it meant, and refused to look back up at her. His gaze was focused downward on the sake in his cup, which he made swirl in a circle as he gently shook it.  
  
Kagome sat down in the chair next to him quickly. He supposed she meant to startle him. He didn't respond.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she almost growled through her clenched teeth, "I thought we'd agreed you'd wait back at the apartment for me!"  
  
"I changed my mind."  
  
"WHY! Why are you here when I asked you to stay and wait!?"  
  
"I wanted to see where you worked. I wanted to see your birthday 'surprise' and be here with you to celebrate. That's alright, isn't it?"  
  
When in hell did he get so good at manipulation?  
  
"Inuyasha. It was thoughtful, even sweet of you to want to be with me on my birthday, but look, this is kind of a problem. I have to meet someone later and I need time with that person to speak alone before we leave."  
  
"Kagome, talk to whoever you wish, I don't care."  
  
"Inuyasha, I want you to go back to my apartment now and wait."  
  
"No thanks, I'm already here. I'll stay."  
  
"Inuyasha PLEASE go now! If you go now, I'll give you lots of extra ramen."  
  
Inuyasha took in and let out a deep breath. "Tempting . . . . but I'm staying."  
  
"No, you're not! YOUR LEAVING RIGHT NOW!  
  
"Kagome, get a hold of yourself. Do you want people to think you're crazy?"  
  
"I want you to leave Inuyasha, I mean it."  
  
"Okay, okay, just calm down. We can leave right now."  
  
He started to stand up and take her arm.  
  
"INUYASHA SIT!"  
  
It was a reflex, said without thinking.  
  
Inuyasha gave a wide, deep, smile, every tooth and fang showing. "Kagome," he said, his voice a full-register lower than usual, "Unless you leave with me now, I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Kagome slumped in her chair, defeated. Angry tears threatened her eyes as she glared at him, hotly. "Okay, so things are not going your way today. Has ANY of this day gone the way you thought it would when you woke up this morning? Calm down, Higurashi, and just handle this".  
  
Kagome pulled something slender from her back pocket. Inuyasha could see it was another "phone," but this one was smaller and flatter than any of the others he had seen. It seemed to have a small screen like the televisions he had seen in her time on the top half of it, with buttons below.  
  
Kagome looked at the phone and dialed. She put it up to her ear, and, not taking her angry stare off Inuyasha, began speaking:  
  
"I need you now. Can you come?"  
  
Inuyasha couldn't hear the words coming through the tiny microphone by Kagome's ear, but he could hear from the pitch and timbre of the far-off voice that it was male. The voice said something that made Kagome respond in a most unusual way. As she sat there, still staring at him, a furious blush crept up her face and neck, causing her eyes to widen in a startled expression.  
  
Kagome listened to the man's response: "Relax, love. I know you need me, but you know there's a limit to what I even I can do. Maybe what you need is a nice, cold shower."  
  
"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Kagome hissed into the phone. "I know I'm not supposed to see you until later, but this really can't wait. Can you come now?"  
  
"I'll be with you shortly love, so hang on."  
  
Kagome returned her phone to her back pocket and her attention to Inuyasha.  
  
He didn't know what the man had said to her to make her blush so intently, but he didn't like it. There was no way he was leaving without her.  
  
"I'm asking you one more time, as my friend who I haven't seen in years, to please honor my request and leave."  
  
"No."  
  
"Inuyasha, you are a real jerk, you know that!"  
  
At that moment, the loud music and swirling lights around them stopped. People left the dance floor and moved off to booths and tables scattered around the club. The main lights came up, instantly and drastically altering the atmosphere. It was like awakening in sunlight from a startling dream.  
  
A man stepped out onto the dance floor alone, carrying a metal object with a cord hanging from it. When he spoke into the object, and his voice gained unexpected volume that made it painful to Inuyasha's ears. "Hell," he thought, "Why is he using that thing–we can all hear the damn fool fine without it—"  
  
"Good evening American Pie!"  
  
This was greeted by hoots, whistles, and loud clapping all around him.  
  
"I'm Steve Osan, club owner and your host!"  
  
More claps, hoots, and whistles.  
  
"Tonight we have something very special planned. At least two live performances by local and very talented groups. First the Tokyo Travelers, and then Angel Blue!"  
  
Again, more claps, whistles, and Kagome's heart rate?? She wasn't looking at him, but focused on the man on stage, a tight smile on her lips. Her heart was beating way, way too fast. In spite of his earlier anger, he was getting concerned about her now. Whatever her secret is, it can't be that bad if I know, can it? Why is she doing this to herself? . . .  
  
"Make yourselves comfortable, please order more drinks on me, and enjoy the show. Without further delay, here's the Tokyo Travelers!"  
  
There was more applause as the man left the dance floor and the ceiling lights once again dimmed drastically. Black curtains behind the dance floor parted and a group of four young men and a woman were sitting and standing on the stage. A spotlight came on the young man in the center, holding a stringed instrument. As soon as the light hit him, the audience clapped and cheered, even Kagome.  
  
"That's Eric," she said, leaning in and speaking to Inuyasha for the first time in minutes. "He's really good."  
  
Inuyasha didn't know what she meant, but before he could ask, "Eric" was speaking.  
  
His voice was softer than the other man's and it didn't hurt Inuyasha's ears as badly when he spoke into the metal stick. "Hey everyone, this song's for a chick who knows how to rock, and a partner in crime, Kagome." Eric looked up and smiled, and again, there was a round of heavy applause.  
  
In the darkened room, Inuysahsa could tell Kagome had blushed again, but also that she was smiling a little too.  
  
The music started, and Eric sang a song Kagome and everyone else seemed to like a lot. She smiled again and clapped with everyone else when it was over. Kagome waved up at him and, taking her hand to her mouth, blew Eric a "kiss." Inuyasha wasn't sure what the gesture, was, and made a face and snorted at Kagome when she did this. But, to tell the truth, Inuyasha thought it didn't sound that bad for this kind of music. At least Kagome seems to be relaxing and her breathing is better, he thought, relieved.  
  
The Tokyo Travelers played three more songs. Kagome was very touched by the first song Eric chose, and actually enjoyed just listening to him for a few minutes. He was a great guy, and she had gotten to know him and the other members of his band during the last six months. Now, however, she was getting anxious again. After this song, I have to go get ready. Oh God! I wish I wasn't doing this. I wish a hole would open and swallow me up right now. I could say I felt sick, and it wouldn't be lying. . . .Shit! If only it wasn't my birthday and so many of my friends were here. What am I going to do?  
  
"Inuyasha–"She said in a timid whisper.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I have to go get ready to work now. I'll see you a little later."  
  
"Kagome, I told you, I'm staying with you, so, no, you won't see me later, you'll see me now."  
  
"No Inuyasha. I have to go backstage and get ready and you can't come with me, no one is allowed back there except–"  
  
He looked at her now with a shocked, wide grin on his face. "Except for the musicians?" he finished her sentence. So this was Kagome's work? She was in a band? Oh, this was too, too funny. He didn't think she could sing, so what did she do, play the drums? Inuyasha couldn't help it. Picturing Kagome making a fool of herself on stage, he burst out laughing. "That's it, isn't it? You're in the next group!"  
  
"Yes Inuyasha! I'm in Angle Blue and I have to go get ready to perform, so please stop being such a jackass, and giving me a hard time about it. I told you–I have to work tonight!"  
  
Tears were brimming in Kagome's eyes and her body was shaking with anger and embarrassment. He could feel the blood rushing not just to her face, but to every surface of her skin. It was just too fun to see her this way, and besides, she deserved it for trying to keep it all secret anyway.  
  
"Yes, yes, by all means," Inuyasha managed to say between snorts of laugher. "Go get ready for your WORK!"  
  
She shot up out of her chair and ran past him, hot tears threatening to burst at any second. Why does he have to be such a damn asshole? I forgot about THIS Inuyasha! How can I do this?, I just can't! . . ."  
  
She ran backstage and straight into Chloe and Mika, who were checking out each other's clothes one last time before the show. "Hey!" Chloe said when Kagome almost knocked her down, "What the hell's the–"She stopped when she saw her friends face.  
  
"Oh Kagome honey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Chloe, I can't do it! I can't sing tonight!"  
  
"What do you mean you can't sing?" said Mika, who also was standing by her, showing concern. "Kagome are you sick?"  
  
"No, she's not sick," Chloe answered for her, "but she is upset. Kagome, what's wrong? Tell us."  
  
"I can't sing in front of him!" She sobbed and hid her face in her hands.  
  
"Inuyasha? Is he what's got you so upset."  
  
Kagome nodded but kept her hands buried in her face to hide her tears.  
  
Chloe put her arms around her and hugged her for a moment. "Sshh. It's alright Kagome. Of course you can sing. You know you're great and you'll be great tonight. "I could just kill that Inuyasha for showing up tonight and ruining this for her!" Chloe thought.  
  
"Now you listen to me, I don't care what kind of a past you had with that jerk, but you need to pull yourself together. You've gotten past way, way too much this past year to let a stupid boy shatter you like this, you understand me Kagome?!" Chloe was holding Kagome by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at her sunglass-covered eyes.  
  
"She's right and you know it," Mika added, coming up and patting Kagome on the shoulders from behind. Men are all dicks anyway, you know."  
  
This made Kagome laugh a little, and sniffling, she looked at Chloe and said, "You are right, both of you. I'm sorry. It's just that Inuyasha always gets the best of me." It was true, he had always been able to make her doubt her own self-worth, making her feel weak or foolish with just a withering glance. "Not anymore Inuyasha. I'm going to show you–no, show myself, that things really have changed." "I'll go change."  
  
"Come on, I'll help you," Chloe said, "We're on in five."  
  
Chloe and Mika helped Kagome dress and quickly fix her hair. "Oh here, Mika said, "I almost forgot, we're all wearing these tonight." Mika handed her a pair of sunglasses.  
  
"Clo, I meant to ask you earlier, what's with the shades tonight?"  
  
"Uuh, well, I thought it would be kind of a cool look for tonight, you know, nineties-retro."  
  
"Yeah," Mika added "Very nineties, cool"  
  
Kagome looked at her friends skeptically. "I'm not sure I want to sing in shades you guys. I think they may bother me on stage."  
  
Chloe and Mika exchanged nervous glances and Kagome caught their "look."  
  
"Okay, you two, what's really up?"  
  
"Nothing!" Mika said. "It's Steve's idea. He thought it would be a good look for us and he wants us to wear them so we are."  
  
It was a terrible lie. As long as Kagome had known Steve, for the year that she had been regularly performing at his club, he had never once tried to manage their group or give even the slightest suggestion about their music or showmanship. Now she was to believe this was his idea?  
  
"Clo," Kagome said gently but firmly, "What's up."  
  
Defeated, Chloe pulled down her sunglasses to reveal a nasty, blue-black bruise spreading from her right-eye orbit and across the bridge of her small nose.  
  
Kagome gasped in shock. "What the hell–"  
  
"Brad got some really bad news at work, and he, well, he just . . . ."  
  
"The lying dick started drinking again and knocked the shit out of her this afternoon, that's what!" Mika answered, her own anger flared.  
  
"Oh Chloe, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'm gonna kill the bastard with my bear hands!"  
  
"Kagome no! Stop it–both of you! It was a mistake, okay? He said he was sorry. It was the first time, the only time, that anything like this has happened in over a year. It won't ever happen again.  
  
"And just how do you know that Chloe? You TRUST him?" She didn't like kicking Chloe when she was down, but she was so angry--  
  
He even sent me these roses, see–"Chloe gestured to the vase full of red roses on the small table.  
  
Kagome didn't glance at the roses. She was already seeing red. "Chloe, please tell me you're not still going through with the wedding?" It was a plea, a prayer, and if she could have made it so, a command.  
  
"Kagome. . . . We don't have time for this now. Yes, I am still marrying Brad next month and in two weeks I am still expecting you, my best friend, to sing at my shower. Come on, you guys, you're both making WAY too much of this. Brad and I put it behind us, and now I need you to do the same, for me. I mean it. Please Kagome can you do this for me and not make things any harder?"  
  
Kagome's heart was breaking for her friend. Oh, she was angry, angry at Brad for hurting her again, and angry at Chloe for her blindness and self- destructive behavior.  
  
"Okay, Clo," she said weakly. "I won't make it worse."  
  
Chloe gave Kagome another quick hug.  
  
The applause was being given for the Tokyo Travelers last song. It was time. "Give me the damn glasses and let's do this," Kagome said, trying to smile but not succeeding.  
  
Kagome was struggling with a surge of anger-induced adrenaline. She couldn't believe how self-absorbed she had been earlier. Sure, Inuyasha was out there, enjoying himself at her expense, laughing at her even now. Frankly, she didn't give a damn about that anymore. Chloe had comforted her, given her strength even when she was caught in her own hell. Well, to hell with Inuyasha, and to the bottom layer of hell with Brad. She would definitely do something about him, but it would have to wait.  
  
As the three girls took their places on the stage and readied for the curtains to part, Kagome no longer felt fear. Her face was set with determination. "I'm gonna sing tonight alright," she thought. "Hey, you remember the first song we played together? I want to open with it."  
  
Mika shrugged from behind the two sets of keyboards. "Okay Kagome, "The Sign" it is."  
  
The curtains opened and there was a long round of applause, along with several shouts  
  
"Yeah Kagome!"  
  
"Happy Birthday Kagome!"  
  
Kagome smiled. From where she stood she had a clear view of Inuyasha. He was standing and actually clapping along with the crowd. His beautiful white hair took on a silver-blue glow in her dark glasses. If she didn't know he was laughing at her, she could have allowed herself to think the amused smirk he wore was a true smile, and then she could admit that he looked devastatingly handsome, but she pushed those thoughts back before they barely had time to flicker across her mind.  
  
"Thank you." Kagome said sweetly, in husky whisper. "This one's for an old friend."  
  
As the music started, Kagome gripped the microphone tightly with her right hand and closed her eyes. Focus Kagome, focus now. She purposefully slowed her breathing and allowed herself to feel all the pain and anger that had built inside her over the course of the day, allowed it to flow to the surface, where in her mind, she caught it, focusing only on the energy, the power of the feelings, while letting the emotions that came with them rush over and beyond her like hot water flowing over a stone.  
  
She opened her eyes under her dark glasses and lifted her head to the audience. A shot of intense, white-blue light rolled through her the center of her eyes. If anyone had noticed, it would have looked like a flash from a disco balls reflecting off her glasses, but no one did. In an instant, it was gone.  
  
Kagome smiled, she was ready to sing now.  
  
Inuyasha watched her as the curtains came up, at first very amused and thinking of the many days and ways he could torture her for this. Then she spoke. Her voice was . . . different. Soft, yet she commanded attention. Maybe that was just the way the entire room hushed around her. He was musing this as he took in her clothing. He stopped smiling. Her skirt was black and lacy, shorter than those school skirts she used to wear. His eyes moved down to her legs. Her legs. Oh, her legs looked different. They were not the same, spindly legs he remembered, but long, shapely with muscular definition and smooth. He noticed how her skin seemed to glisten under the lights with a soft sheen. His eyes moved upward. Her top half was covered by an insignificant black piece of clothing he remembered she called a "bra." Normally this was worn under her uniform. This one she wore under a "shirt" too, if it could be called that. It was nothing more than a transparent, red, netted material that seemed to serve no other purpose than to draw eyes back to her brassier. Her glossy hair was pulled back, accentuating her creamy, perfect neck, and her lips were painted red to match the almost-invisible top, a luscious cherry.  
  
Even after adjusting to the changes in her today, he stared at her and felt something stir inside him, his heart-rate rose with his heat. Inuyasha was speechless. He couldn't even think. He had to get closer, he wanted her down off that stage, away from the hundreds of other people who had no right to look at her as he was looking at her now. As he began moving toward the stage, she began singing:  
  
*************************  
I,  
I've got a new life,  
You would hardly recognize me, I'm so glad,  
How could a person  
Like me jump for you?  
Why, why do I bother, when you're not the one for me?---  
It enough to know that  
I saw the sign,  
And I opened up my eyes I saw the sign,  
Life is demanding,  
The rhythm understanding,  
I saw the sign,  
And I opened up my eyes, I saw the sign,  
No one's gonna drag you out,  
To get into the light where you belong,  
But where do you belong? . . .  
  
Under the pale moon,  
For so many years I wondered who you are,  
How could a person,  
Like you bring me joy?  
Under the pale moon,  
Where I see a lot of stars, . . .  
It's enough to know,  
I saw the sign,  
And I opened up my eyes, I saw the sign,  
Life is demanding,  
The rhythm understanding,  
I saw the sign,  
And I opened up my eyes I saw the sign,  
No one's gonna drag you out, to get into the light where you belong,  
But where do you belong? ****************************  
  
Kagome had watched as Inuyasha make his way from the back table to standing with a crowd of others at the foot of the stage. When she sang "I saw the sign, and I opened up my eyes, I saw the sign" the second time, she took off her glasses. When she reached the line "But where do you belong?" She bent with precision at the knees. Without missing a beat, she sang the question staring directly into Inuyasha's orange eyes.  
  
She watched as he gaped at her, unable to close his mouth or hide his shock.  
  
Good, she thought as she stood back up, I'm starting to feel better.  
  
Inuyasha was stunned. When she bent down, so very close to his face, singing this to him, he couldn't breathe. He had to admit it, her voice, everything about her was incredible.  
  
"How did she do it? How did she turn it around on me so quickly? I was hunting her, and now--now I feel powerless." He didn't want to think these things, to feel this way, but there was no denying it. Kagome was in charge. A part of him wanted to grab her, wrap her in his long, red, coat, and carry her out of there, away from everyone else but him. Another part, the part that was deciding now, wanted to hear her sing, watch her, drink her in. He stood there, frozen, as she sang on:  
  
***********************  
I saw the sign,  
And it opened up my mind,  
And I am happy now living without you,  
I left you, oh-o-oh-ooh,  
I saw the sign,  
And it opened up my eyes,  
I saw the sign,  
Noo ne's gonna drag you out, to get into the light where you belong,  
But where do you belong? *************************  
  
When she sang these words, she walked over to Chloe, who was playing the guitar and singing back-up and looked directly at her, Kagome's expression almost defiant. Inuyasha had never felt such strong emotions coming from Kagome before. As she sang these lines, he was relieved beyond reason that she was not looking at him. He felt sure if she sang those words to him, he would somehow be utterly destroyed. But why did he feel so much anger coming from her? It seemed to be rolling off her now, crashing down on Chloe like a silken knife. Inuyasha was finally able to move his eyes off of her as she finished the song. Looking at the people in the audience, he knew that he was not the only one being affected by her. "Kagome, you've caught us all. The only other times I've felt anything close to what I'm feeling from you now you were using your miko powers. . . But that can't be what you're doing now, can it?"  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the long round of applause. Kagome and the band waited, and then she said in her sultry voice, "Thank you. This song's for a new friend."  
  
With mounting frustration, Inuysahsa noticed that for several minutes Kagome hadn't looked at him at all. And now, as she said "this song's for a new friend," she smiled warmly, almost purring the words, without even a glance in his direction. He watched her eyes and tracked their gaze to the back of the room, to the table where he had been sitting earlier. In the shadows, a man sat at the table and Kagome was looking at him, smiling for him.  
  
Angle Blue played "Follow Your Heart" by Jewel. Kagome loved this song, it's post-modern humor and flirty, teasing lyrics. She gave the song all she had, moving her body with her singing's cadence and rhythm. She knew how and when to strike a pose to accentuate the song's meaning, to deliver an invitation no man alive could resist.  
  
At one point she glanced down to where Inuyasha was standing, just to see if he would show any reaction to her at all. He was gone, she noted, but it didn't matter. She'd deal with him later. Now she was singing, releasing, giving in to so much feeling, so much expression, and it felt too good to stop.  
  
Before Kagome had begun the song, Inuyasha had barreled his way to the table at the back of the room. He watched the man. He sat there, smiling, at ease. He picked up Inuyasha's discarded sake jug and poured himself a cup. He downed it with a smile. "Son of a bitch! Who is this asshole?"  
  
Inuyasha glared at him. He took in the man's long, open coat, similar to his own, except in color, black like his boots. He was wearing a white shirt and jeans under the coat. His posture spoke for him, told the world he was in control, at ease, amused. "I'm gonna wipe that damn smile off his cocky face." Inuyasha looked at his features. Tosseled, light-brown hair framed his face. His hair wasn't as long as Inuyasha's, but longer than most men's. The man's face was tanned, rugged. He was definitely older than Inuyasha in human years, but how old he couldn't determine. He guessed twenty-five. His nose was prominent, but not overly large. It was straight and well-formed. Most striking were his eyes. Inuyasha watched his eyes watch Kagome. They were shockingly blue, pale blue. Inuyasha had never seen eyes like this before. He was startled when the man suddenly looked up directly at him, smiled and said,  
  
"She's bloody brilliant, isn't she?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't know exactly what "bloody brilliant" meant , but he knew he meant Kagome.  
  
"She's with me!" Inuyasha growled from deep in his throat.  
  
"Is she now?" the man responded with a wide grin. "And here I thought I was watching her sing. She's with you, you say?"  
  
"I don't know who you are, but YES, Kagome's mine. So is the sake."  
  
The man stood up and looked at Inuyasha with twinkling eyes. "Is it? Then, I have been careless. Your woman. Your sake! Well, I wouldn't want to be angering you further. My apologies."  
  
This said, the man walked passed Inuyasha and left. But while walking past, he met Inuyasha's eyes with his own intense blue gaze. This time there was no humor in it. Inuyasha snorted. The intruder was gone.  
  
The audience began clapping again, even louder than before. Inuyasha could feel the collective sexual energy that was gathering around him, a storm with Kagome at the center. Thinking about her now was getting too intense. He had never had feelings like this before, at least never allowed them to surface. Even when he had become full demon, these feelings were under control. Now Kagome was ripping his control to shreds. This was dangerous. He needed her to stop singing. He wanted to go, but wasn't about to leave without her. The memory of holding her, smelling her, even tasting her kiss for gods' sake! kept resurfacing in his mind. Hell, this was definitely no good. Kagome began singing again, this time "Black Velvet." When she began, he knew he was lost. This has to be a spell. . . .it's not just me. . . . He was hot, so hot he wanted to take of his coat, his shirt. He didn't dare. He felt like a marionette, like an idiot, to allow her to continue to play this game. She didn't have the rosary anymore, so what was stopping him from stopping her?  
  
Kagome sang the lines:  
  
. . . . A new religion,  
To bring her to your knees,  
Black Velvet, if you please . . . .  
  
As she sang these lines, she dropped down to her knees on stage, legs slightly parted, her flimsy skirt straining against her taut thighs. Her eyes were closed and she held the microphone so close to her mouth. . . .  
  
Inuyasha thought he would explode! He was angry. He was excited. He was hurting and hopeless and he was going to make her stop it, now.  
  
As he moved back to the stage, he heard the thunderous applause. Kagome was standing up again. "Thank the merciful gods," he thought. She said "Thank you, goodnight!" She was done. No more singing. Oh, she was going to have a lot to answer for now, but he wanted to wait long enough to re- gain his composure first. Just a few minutes to cool down before marching her out of here.  
  
He watched as Kagome and the other women took a second and third bow. The other two women left the stage, and Kagome was turning to leave. Just then, the intruder walked on the stage and was beside her. He took her in his arms, and the audience cheered wildly. Kagome didn't expect this, and gasped when he embraced her. Inuyasha's lips curled back in a snarl as he watched the man bent his head to her ear and, stroking the other side of her neck with his hand, begin an intimate conversation with her in front of hundreds of witnesses. He whispered in her ear something no human in the room could hear. Inuyasha heard every word.  
  
"Just what the hell are you thinking, love?"  
  
"Michael, I'm sorry–I've had a really, really rough day."  
  
"You know Kay, you can't go using your energy this way. It's not what it's meant for."  
  
"I know, I just couldn't help it."  
  
"It's okay love. I'm here now, and I'm going to make it all better, okay?"  
  
"Okay Michael," she whispered back. Inuyasha was stunned. He watched her give him a small smile and lean into him further.  
  
"Now it's time for your surprise."  
  
With that, the man faced the audience and picked up the microphone.  
  
"Ladies and gents, many of you know me and you all know this lovely lady, Kay. We have a few surprises for her tonight, to honor her grand old age."  
  
There was a collective laugh.  
  
That goddamed, fucking, SON OF A BITCH!  
  
Inuyasha knew Kagome had been doing something when she was singing, but it pissed him off beyond belief that this bastard knew it too, that he understood what was going on and now acting like he had a right to be chastising her for it.  
  
Inuyasha knew that his chance to leave with her over. Oh, he still could have taken her out of there, by extreme force if necessary, and he wouldn't have minded causing even a very destructive scene in the process. But it was just too damn late. This man, "Michael" was Kagome's "somebody, "her secret. Was he her lover? Her mate? "No, at least not yet." He would definitely have known if she had been with a man, any man ever in that way. He would have smelled it on her, the smell of another, and it wasn't there. If not lover then what? Whatever it was, they were close, closer than he was to her. Inuyasha could feel his anger rising again.  
  
"How could you Kagome?! You belong to me and you know it!"  
  
Did she? . . . Does she belong to me? He remembered with a fresh rush of pain: "It hasn't been four weeks for her, it's been two years! Did you really think she would never care about anyone but you? And what about you? How do you feel about her? Do you even have a clue? Did you already forget you're not free to care about her even if you wanted to? Is it so easy for you to forget about your promise, about Kikyo, after only one day?"  
  
He felt lost in a haze anger and confusion. No, there was no way he could take Kagome away now even if he wanted to. He had to know what this man was to Kagome. He had to re-gain his control and maintain some distance from her. Kikyo, he thought. I need to think about Kikyo now, not Kagome. . . .  
  
Inuyasha tried. He tried terribly hard. He tried to close his mind and heart to the enticing, beautiful woman standing in front of him with another man. He tried to think about Kikyo.  
  
Like leaving the warmth of a fire for a walk in the snow. 


	7. From Bad To Worse

__________________________________________  
  
Chapter 7 From Terrible to Worse  
  
Michael escorted a now blushing, self-conscious Kagome to a chair on the stage.  
  
Inuyasha thought, Just where the hell was her humility a few minutes ago?!  
  
When Kagome tried to voice a question, Michael quieted her with a finger to his lips.  
  
I don't want his hands touching her! Inuyasha could sense a change in his own blood's scent. He clenched Tetseiga's handle. If I don't find control, I'm going to turn into a full demon right here and now!  
  
Inuyasha was relieved when he walked away from Kagome and stood at the center of the stage, again holding the microphone. "And now, The Tokyo Travelers and yours truly."  
  
Eric and his band came on stage with Michael. When the applause died down, they began to play a song. Michael sat in front, on a square, wooded seat. He looked down at the audience, straight at Inuyasha, and laughed. He slapped his hands against the box and it made a drumming sound. He stood up, and began singing. He sang "To Be With You," by Mr. Big.  
  
****************************  
Hold on little girl,  
Show me what he's done to you,  
Stand up, little girl,  
A broken heart can't be that bad,  
  
When it's through, it's through,  
Fate the twist of both of you,  
So come on baby, come on over,  
Let me be the one to show you:  
  
I'm the one who wants to be with you,  
Deep inside I hope you feel it too,  
Feel it too,  
Waiting on a line,  
I'm waiting on a line,  
Just to be the next to be with you.  
  
Build up your confidence,  
So you can be on time for once,  
Wake up, who cares about,  
Little boys that talk too much.  
I seen it all go down,  
The game of love was all ran down,  
So come on baby,  
Come on over,  
Let me be the one to hold you,  
  
I'm the one who wants to be with you,  
Deep inside I hope you'll feel it too,  
Feel it too,  
Waiting on a line,  
I'm waiting on a line,  
Just to be the next to be with you.  
  
Why be alone,  
When we could be together baby?  
You could make my life worthwhile,  
I could make you start to  
SMILE.  
  
When it's through,  
It's through,  
Fates the twist of both of you,  
So come on baby,  
Come on over,  
Let me be the one to hold you,  
  
I'm the one who wants to be with you,  
Deep inside I hope you feel it too,  
Feel it too,  
Waiting on a line,  
I'm waiting on a line,  
Just to be the next to be with you  
  
. . . . Just to be the next to be with you.  
  
********************************************  
  
When he reached the lines "Wake up, who cares about little boy that talk too much," Michael swiftly met Inuyasha's eyes, with a goading smile. By the time he finished singing, he was kneeling down in front of Kagome his hand in hers. The audience went wild with applause as Kagome blushed deeply. She was embarrassed, but also touched by Michael's serenade. She was glowing with happiness from his attentions.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Kay," Michael said, smiling up at her. Kagome bent down and hugged him, smiling. "Michael, thank you, you have made things much, much better," she whispered in his ear.  
  
She tried to stand up leave the stage and spotlight, but he gently pushed her back down to her seat. "Wait love, your surprise isn't over."  
  
Kagome's eyes grew wide. "Michael what–?"  
  
"Be still now Kay, just wait." With that mysterious command, Michael left her again on her chair at the side of the stage. He picked up the microphone again. . . .  
  
Now what the hell is the bastard up to? Inuyasha had suffered through his "performance," witnessed and heard Kagome and Michael's exchange afterward. His demon blood was subsiding, slowly with the effort of his concentration. He was still very angry, but a new emotion was dulling his anger– a deep, aching sadness.  
  
He remembered what Kagome had said earlier, in her apartment: "I'm not the same as I was back then, and you do not know me. I don't know you anymore either. . . ." Her words rang with dawning truth in his head. She had been right. He had made a choice, a promise to Kikyo, and heartbroken, Kagome left. He tried to find her, to get back to her as quickly as he could, but it was too late. Much, perhaps too much, had changed for her. Why were you so upset when you discovered the well was destroyed? Were you just worried about her? Was it because of the shards? Or was it guilt? You hurt the girl deeply and you know it, you knew your decision was bound to hurt her, but you made it anyway. Are you prepared to go back on your promise?  
  
Inuyasha was trapped between his duty and desire, and he knew he had no right to ask anything of Kagome. Yet you convinced her to return with you.  
  
Whatever this man Michael was to her, he was someone special. "Is it right, to make her leave with you now?" Inuyasha frowned at this unbidden thought. "After finding her again, after all this, are you prepared to let her go?" Inuyasha smiled bitterly as he remembered all the times he had dismissed her, demeaned her, and allowed her to think he saw her only as a shard detector. "You deserve what you see now, what you are feeling. . . . all of it."  
  
"Maybe I should go back without her and seal the well forever. . . Are you prepared to do that any more than you are prepared to let go of Kikyo?" The conflict raged in his mind as he watched Kagome, so lovely smiling at another man. His chest constricted. Even if he should go back without her, he was not ready to do that. "I can still protect her, I can still be her friend. . . ."  
  
. . . . "Ladies and gents," Michael continued, "A very special guest is here tonight at Club America Rocks. He's making his way to Australia, and stopped over for the night. He's a living classic, a wickedly gifted man. . . . I give you my good friend, Mr. Tom Petty!  
  
The noise from the crowd was deafening. Inuyasha grabbed his ears and winced in pain as a woman standing next to him screamed as if she was being eviscerated.  
  
WHAT THE FUCK!  
  
Tom Petty walked onto the stage, waved, and smiled for several minutes as the crowd exploded into a round of banging applause.  
  
Hhmph! I don't see what's so special about him. He looks old. Not what you'd call handsome even by human standards. He's scrawny and weak!  
  
As the applause died down in slow waves, he spoke into the microphone. "Good Evening Tokyo!"  
  
Again, a fantastic round of screams. Inuyasha covered his ears and winced again. "Gods if he does this to them just standing there, what the hell is going to happen when he sings?!"  
  
"I understand there's a lady with a birthday tonight," he said in a low voice, smiling devilishly.  
  
As another spotlight found Kagome, drawing the attention back toward her, the crowd broke into new sounds, hoots and whistles.  
  
"Aw Shit! This fucking HURTS!" He looked at Kagome. She didn't look like the wonton temptress in control of everyone only minutes before. She didn't look demure or bashful either. She looked "exactly like the stupid wench next to me screaming my damn ears off!" She was smiling, a huge, goofy smile, hiding her face in her hands one minute, the next minute looking up and ogling the singer. She didn't scream, but she looked like she could have. "Stupid girl. Look at all these stupid girls!" Arms folded across his chest, Inuyasha smirked and grunted, "There's nothing special about this man." No one heard him or if they did, cared.  
  
"This song's for the birthday lady." With that, the band started playing, and Tom Petty started singing, walking slowly over to face Kagome and singing:  
  
It's all right if you love me, It's all right if you don't, I'm not afraid of you running away, honey, I get the feeling you won't. . . .  
  
There ain't no use in pretending, Your eyes, they give you away, Something inside you is feeling like I do, We've said all there is to say.  
  
BABY!  
  
Break down, Go ahead and give it to me, Break down, honey take me through the night, Break down, now honey baby can't you see, Break down, It's all right. . . . It's all right, It's all riiight. . . .  
  
. . . .  
  
Kagome stood, transfixed. Her eyes wide almost in shock. Tom Petty was singing to her, for her. Kagome was beyond thinking. She could feel her heart racing, knew she was staring, blatantly staring, at him. A part of her knew she wasn't in control of her actions, but even that part didn't care. This was– way beyond amazing, it was sublime.  
  
Inuyasha watched her respond to him, oblivious of EVERYTHING. Has he put HER under some kind of a spell? I don't sense any powers in this man. What the hell has he done to her? Focusing his demon senses on her, he could hear her heart rate climbing again, and something else,-- she smelled excited. Aroused.  
  
Shit Kagome, your feeling THAT?!  
  
He blushed an angry, furious red. I'm gonna have to get to that damn girl before she jumps him!  
  
At that moment, however, the song was over, and everyone, including Kagome, was clapping. Tom Petty leaned in to Kagome and said "Happy birthday." Kagome smiled, shyly again, and said "Thank you!" She hugged him and before she pulled away, and he---  
  
HE KISSED HER! He Goddamm KISSED HER MOUTH!  
  
In a different time, different place, the man would have been dead for doing that. Here, now, Inuyasha knew he was unable to sink his claws into the filthy, insolent man that dared to do this. He was trapped to watch, to watch and know Kagome enjoyed it.  
  
The approval from the crowd was loud and immediate, as a fresh round of hoots and whistles exploded around him. It was a quick, chaste kiss, but Kagome could have gone into cardiac arrest. As he walked back to the center of the stage to do another song, Kagome noticed Michael standing just off stage, smiling over at her.  
  
She ran to him, and jumping up to secure her arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly. Michael caught her by the waist and held her up, as she wrapped her legs around his.  
  
"Michael, I can't believe you made all this happen for me!" Kagome spoke into his black duster, her face buried in his shoulder. "Can I take it you liked your surprise then, love?" He whispered.  
  
She moved her head and looked up to face him. "Michael I LOVED every moment of this evening and you know it! Thank you for giving me my best birthday ever!" Her smile of happiness was dazzling.  
  
She dropped her legs from his sides, but they continued to embrace.  
  
"It's been my pleasure love, all mine." He smiled down at the woman in his arms.  
  
As Tom Petty left the stage amidst a fresh shower of appreciative applause and the Tokyo Travelers began a new set, Kagome and Michael's exchange in shadows off-stage went unnoticed by the human audience. The hanyou, however, stared at them, orange eyes flashing. He watched, and heard every word. 


	8. Dirty Dancing

_____________________________________ Chapter 8 Dirty Dancing  
  
Michael and Kagome walked hand in hand, back to same table where Inuyasha was seated earlier.  
  
"You're going to have to talk to her. You know you have to face her. Just get it over with." Inuyasha thought, swallowing hard. A part of him felt like running, flying back to the well. He had to talk to Kagome, had to decide if she was still going back with him. He just wasn't sure he was ready to see her yet. He had no idea what he was going to say to her when he did. He felt drained, dizzy and nauseous from the whirl of lights, smells, sounds, and emotions that coursed through him. It was like being caught in a dream, a nightmare.  
  
Gripping his sword in its hilt by instinct, Inuyasha braced himself and walked back to the table where Michael and Kagome were enjoying the music and each other.  
  
Kagome looked up and noticed the towering red figure standing over her. She stood immediately and smiled at him warmly. "Inuyasha! I'm so glad to see you!"  
  
"Are you Kagome?" He didn't know where the question came from, but it was voiced before he thought about it. His hurt laced his words, words that felt more weighted than any he had ever spoken to her before.  
  
Kagome noticed his tone, his meaning, but misunderstood its reason. "Oh Inuyasha, of course I'm glad to see you! I'm glad you came tonight too, really. I'm sorry about earlier. I acted terrible and I'm so sorry. It means a lot to me that you wanted to be a part of my birthday, and I was wrong to push you away. I guess I was just embarrassed. . . ."  
  
"Exactly what 'part' did I play tonight Kagome? What's my part now?. . ." This is what he thought. "Why were you embarrassed?" is what he said with a sigh.  
  
"I guess I didn't want you to know I sang," she said, looking down at the floor. "I thought if you knew I sang in a band, you'd laugh at me."  
  
She was right, of course. He did laugh. At first he laughed a whole lot at her, was prepared to tease her eternally over it, but then, he remembered, "Then I heard you sing, and it wasn't funny anymore. . ."  
  
"I wanted to laugh at you," he said truthfully.  
  
Kagome felt his words like a punch in the stomach. She squeezed her eyes to stop unwanted tears from resurfacing.  
  
"Even on one of the happiest days of your life, you have the power to make me feel so miserable, Inuyasha,"she thought.  
  
"I was going to laugh until I heard you. You. . . .you're good." Inuyasha squirmed and looked away from her when he told her. "And THAT was an amazing understatement," he thought.  
  
Kagome raised her eyes to look at him. "Did he just. . . . did he just COMPLIMENT me?! Oh God! He DID! He said I was GOOD!" Kagome couldn't have felt happier if Inuyasha had given her a room filled with flowers.  
  
"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said smiling at him in amazed happiness. "That is the nicest thing you've ever said to me."  
  
Michael coughed into his hand, breaking Kagome away from her moment of pure bliss. In that briefest moment, Inuyasha realized that it was HE, not Michael, who had been holding all of Kagome's attention. He raised an eyebrow, wondering. . . .  
  
"Oh," she laughed nervously, "best to get this over with now, Kagome," she urged herself. "Inuyasha this is my, my good friend Michael Sephrim. Michael, this is–"  
  
"We've met, love. I already know WHAT he is. I don't need to know who."  
  
Kagome gasped and stared down at Michael. "MICHAEL!" she said in a rush of anger. "That was incredibly RUDE! This is my very dear, old friend Inuyasha. I have known him for a long time and I will NOT tolerate you being disrespectful to him, UNDERSTAND ME?!"  
  
Michael and Inuyasha both froze, stunned by Kagome's outburst.  
  
"She's actually standing up for me to him? Why would she do that?" Inuyasha was flattered, dazed, dumbfounded.  
  
"Okay, love, okay–I'm sorry," Michael said, looking at up her and smiling tensely. "Now sit down with your friend, Kay, and let's not have a scene."  
  
"Hhmph!" Grunted Inuyasha as he sat down, "It's not as if you haven't caused several 'scenes' already tonight!"  
  
Kagome looked at Inuyasha quizzically, not getting his meaning.  
  
Michael gave him a forced smile and said, "It seems this is the second time I've found myself apologizing to you, demon. This is for the lady's sake alone. Don't get used to it."  
  
Inuyasha's lips curled back in a smile to meet Michaels, revealing fangs. "How in the hell does this human know what I am? . . . . Did Kagome tell him about me? It didn't seem like he knew who I was earlier, but at least that would explain how he knows I'm not human."  
  
Kagome looked dismayed at the two men, now locked in a battle of wills, a staring contest.  
  
To anyone who might have looked back at the table, the scene was remarkable. A woman sat between two men who, from their posture and appearance, were about to fight for her. One man intense, devastating in his looks. He was a vision of masculine power and beauty in flowing white and red. The other more man was more traditionally-dashing, his chiseled, perfect features striking in against a background of black. Both were startlingly handsome, the woman between them, an amazing beauty, worth fighting for. The three of them together could have been taken for actors, playing their parts as a scene from a soap-opera love-triangle was unfolding.  
  
"Uh-oh. I better do something quickly. This is getting ugly," Kagome thought. "Inuyasha, Michael, I want to leave now. We need to go back to my apartment and talk, all of us."  
  
Michael broke the stare to look at her first, but before anyone could say anything else, Mika and Chloe were standing by the table. Kagome looked up at her friends, startled.  
  
"Hey you three, mind if we join the party?" Chloe said as she looked down at her friend and the two men. She smiled, but looked pointedly at Kagome.  
  
"Sure Clo, that would be. . . ."  
  
"Actually, this is not a good time," Inuyasha said rudely. "We were just about to leave." He made a face that looked more like a snarl to Chloe.  
  
Chloe looked surprised, but was not dissuaded from continuing to press. "Oh," she said in a voice that Kagome could tell was laced with mock surprise, "so soon? And I was just going to ask Michael to dance. How about it Michael love, just one dance?" Flirting, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
Kagome looked at her friend quizzically, raising her brows.  
  
"Well, I can't very well refuse a lovely lady asking so sweetly, now can I?" Michael turned to look at Chloe, who smiled enigmatically back at Kagome. "Shall we Chloe?" he asked as he rose. "Let's go!"  
  
He slipped his arm around her waist and they were gone, lost in the beat of the music, lights, and pressing bodies.  
  
"At least he's gone for now, but why isn't Kagome mad?" Inuyasha thought. Looking at her, she truly didn't look upset that her man had left embracing her friend. In fact, she looked almost—what was it? Amused? Relieved?  
  
Before he had time to think about this longer, the tall woman with the short, spiky black hair said, "Kagome, you haven't even introduced me to your new friend."  
  
"Oh, sorry Mika. Mika, this is Inuyasha, and he's not new, he's an old friend."  
  
"What exactly did she mean by that, 'old friend?' She's said that several times now, 'old friend.' Did she think I'm 'old?' I guess I am, if humans and demons aged at the same rate, but we don't so. . . .Does it mean I come from another time, which is also true, or does she mean that we were once friends, but now? . . . "  
  
Inuyasha had thought of all the possibilities except one: That he was one of the dearest persons to her heart, that her feelings for him had not dimmed, that she had cared about him, loved him, almost from the moment they met. This was Kagome's meaning, and when she called him "old friend," she smiled mentally, enjoying the double meaning in the phrase that was only known to her–that she had loved him for so long and that he was here with her now, some 500 years out of time.  
  
She was so happy to be with him again, just to be able to look at him again. Even if he was scowling at her, being an insensitive cur, or driving her crazy, he still had power over her, the power to make her soul soar with the slightest smile, the tiniest begrudged compliment.  
  
If only things weren't so complicated. She knew he wasn't hers, never would be. "He only came back because he needs your help. You still have a duty to fulfill". Over the course of the night she had reminded herself of this many times. "And when it's all done. . .  
  
"–And when it's all done he'll be with Kikyo. It's what he wants. It's what is right. And you know it."  
  
No, she wasn't ABOUT to go down the same path she did two years ago. She had been a fool, a silly, young girl who allowed herself to hurt others because of a crush she couldn't control. After all this time, somehow, fate had given her a second chance, a chance to do what was right. "I will not mess things up with my emotions this time. I will stand by Inuyasha until the end, and when the end comes. . . . I will be happy for him to have what he wants. This time, I will be his friend," she thought resolutely.  
  
Kagome was looking off in the direction of the dance floor. Inuyasha thought she was trying to find Michael and Chloe, but she wasn't. She was lost in these thoughts again about him.  
  
The music changed abruptly, grew softer, slower. It was one of Kagome's favorite love rock ballads, "I've Been Waiting For A Girl Like You," by Journey.  
  
"Hey Inuyasha, how about it?" Mika asked forwardly.  
  
"How about what, woman?"  
  
"A dance!"  
  
Inuyasha stared at her dumbly. "You want to dance? With me?"  
  
"Yes," Mika giggled. "I think I do. Will you?"  
  
Inuyasha came close to having an anxiety attack. He paled and sat frozen, jaw open, looking back and forth between Mika and Chloe. He had never "danced" before. Besides, what these humans were doing now didn't look like the dancing he saw earlier. It looked like mass mating.  
  
"Oh, go ahead Inuyasha, it'll be fun," Kagome prompted him.  
  
"I promise not to bite," Mika said and gave the demon a playful smile as she held out her arm.  
  
When Inuyasha was still reluctant to rise and follow her, Kagome said, "Go already! The song will be over before you get out there!"  
  
With a look back at her that seemed to say, "Are you sure about this?" Inuyasha finally allowed himself to be lead off by Kagome's forward friend.  
  
When he was gone, Kagome sat at the table alone and smiled, thinking about the maneuver her two friends had just pulled off. "Talk about a save in a tight spot! It's just like those two to throw me a life-jacket when I'm in way too deep."  
  
Kagome was relieved the men were gone. Thanks to her friends and the temporary distraction they caused, she had a much-needed few minutes to herself to think through how she was going to handle the inevitable upcoming "conversation" with Michael and Inuyasha. "How am I going to keep them from killing each other?. . ."  
  
Kagome's attention from this problem was quickly distracted. She saw something, someone and frowned. "Time to have a talk with Bradley."  
  
He stood at the bar with his back to her, but his brash laugh was unmistakable. Kagome gave a disgusted grunt, "Probably flirting with the bartender or telling one of his sick, misogynistic jokes," she thought. She walked over to him and took in his physique. "He IS hot, I'll give Clo that much, but that's just what's on the surface. Like a poison apple, all wormy inside." She approached the muscular man, known as "Brad the Bod," or "The Bod" to his admirers. Brad the body-builder, the tan American with the loud laugh, the drunkard, the joker perpetually unable to hold down a job, the leech who held onto Chloe for all she was worth, Brad the woman- beater.  
  
She slipped up behind him and placed her delicate hands over his eyes. "Guess who, Brad?" She made her voice drop into it's lowest range, phrasing her words slow, thick like honey.  
  
He laughed, but she could feel him stiffen, suddenly tense with anticipation. "Damned if I know sweetheart, but it sure as hell isn't Chloe."  
  
"No Brad, it's not Chloe," she said, releasing her hands from his eyes and moving in beside him.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Did you like my set tonight Brad?" She gave him her widest eyes. "I know it was short tonight, but I felt like I had a kind of energy-thing going. Did you feel it Brad."  
  
"Uh-huh," he nodded dumbly. "You were fire, Kagome. Everyone felt it," he said smiling down at her, showing every one of his large, ultra-bleached teeth. Kagome thought they were frightening, but shrugged this distraction away.  
  
"Thanks, Brad. That means a lot. You know, I've still got some of that energy left–I was wondering if you'd dance with me?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, babe!" He put his arm around her neck and she walked with him out onto the dance floor, allowing her hip to rub against his side as they moved. "Damn I'm not sure what she's on, she's never been like this. If Chloe sees. . . .well, I'll just have to deal with Chloe later. I'm definitely going to enjoy this!"  
  
They made their way past the maze of entwined bodies. The D.J. was playing another slow-song now. They found a small space, he put his arms around her waist, she put hers around his neck and they began to dance. Kagome smiled at him, her eyes fixed on his. "This is perfect," she thought. He actually started to move his face closer to her, testing, trying for a kiss. At the last minute, she turned her head into his neck, closed her eyes, and allowed a hot breath to escape through her lips onto his skin. She heard him give a little moan of pleasure, and then began to focus. . . .  
  
Inuyasha had tried once already to get rid of this Mika woman after the first song was over, but the next song began with barely a pause, and before he could stop her, she had pulled in close again. Inuyasha was trying to be VERY careful not to accidentally scratch the scantily-clothed woman. He remembered how he had inadvertently hurt Kagome earlier, and didn't want to do that again. It was difficult, however, because she kept trying to pull him closer. He tried to pull his hands into his coat sleeves and keep his clawed fingers curled, but he was still worried. He wanted this human ritual to be over. He could tell she was aroused by him as she pressed the side of her face into his chest, smelling him. Her body gave off a strong odor, she wanted him. He could feel himself starting to panic, I have to get away from her, now, even if I have to hurt her feeling to do it.  
  
That's when he looked up and saw Kagome, dancing way too close to yet ANOTHER man, breathing on his neck. "WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING NOW?! "If he would have seen her like this now with Michael he would have been angry, hurt, but at least partially prepared for it and able to control his territorial impulses. She had given him signs, more than he EVER needed, that she was interested in Michael. But this man? "Has she become a whoret?" He never felt anything but respect and admiration for Kagome, her courage, her heart, her loyalty and friendship, her purity. Part of the attraction, he had admitted to himself before, was this. She was pure, innocent. If she was different than Kikyo in other, less-important ways, in this crucial was the same. It was why had been able to look at her in the past times and sometimes, when he tried, see Kikyo. Now he didn't see Kikyo. He wouldn't have wanted to. He wasn't sure who he saw, or if he even wanted to know. Watching her cheap behavior, and looking back on her behavior through the entire night, he allowed a new feeling to surface in himself about Kagome–disgust.  
  
He pulled the woman in front of him away from his chest and shook her slightly, causing her to startle. "Mika, who is Kagome dancing with?"  
  
"Damn Inuyasha! You scared me. It's Brad, the man Chloe's going to marry."  
  
Inuyasha was stunned. He dropped Mika's arms and stood there, staring across the sea of people to Kagome. "She's doing that with her friend's chosen mate?" he thought, incredulous. "How could she! She really has become a cheap —"  
  
"Hey dude, don't flip out. It's just social, okay?"  
  
"Social?" he asked in distracted mutter.  
  
"Yes Inuyasha social. As in socializing. Social dancing. You know she's not trying to steal him from Chloe or anything. I've known Kagome a long time, and she's not like that you know."  
  
"Yeah, does it look like she's 'socializing' to you?" he asked the girl, his voice dripping sarcasm.  
  
"You know, I don't know what Kagome's up to, but she was really angry at Brad earlier for something, so I don't know. Now I hope you won't be too terribly heartbroken, but I don't think I want to dance with you anymore. I like my partners focused on me.  
  
Inuyasha noticed she left him standing there alone. He considered the possibility that he should have said he was sorry for something or other, but he didn't care. "Kagome was angry at this man earlier? . . ." With that latest bit of information, his ears twitched. He stood perfectly still as couples moved around him, occasionally casting him wary glances. He listened:  
  
"Brad?" she spoke the question into his neck.  
  
"Yeah Kagome?"  
  
"I know you've been drinking again," she purred.  
  
He stiffened and pulled her away from him. "Bitch! What do you want?" he asked, his eyes narrow, tone threatening.  
  
Kagome laughed and pulled in again. "Relax Brad," she said, bringing her face very close to his. "I just wanted to dance with you. Can't we just have some fun?"  
  
He eyed her suspiciously, but placed his hands back around her waist. "Is this some kind of a sick joke, Kagome," he asked.  
  
"No Brad, I swear, this is no joke." She kept her eyes locked on his, and as she smiled up at him, licked her lips.  
  
That did it, his body relaxed and he began to move with her again, allowing himself to relish her enticing body.  
  
She leaned in to his neck and lifted her mouth to his ear.  
  
"Brad?" She voiced his name in a husky whisper.  
  
"Yes Kagome, yes?"  
  
She licked his earlobe, making little swirls with her tongue and breathed into his ear.  
  
His body tensed with ecstasy and they danced.  
  
"Brad. . . ." she whispered, "If you hurt Chloe again, I'll castrate you, you son of a bitch." She cooed these words lovingly into his ear, smiled, and placed her right hand on his shoulder. A beam of white/blue light shot from her palm through his neck.  
  
She released him and stood back. Brad gasped, tried to scream out in pain, but couldn't. His eyes were wide in shock and pain, and he collapsed forward in front of her feet.  
  
Kagome turned to walk away, but before she could move, her wrist was grabbed forcefully and she was being pulled. "That's it. We're leaving NOW!"  
  
Before she knew what was happening, he held her fast. The scene of the nightclub and Brad dissolved in front of her eyes.  
  
Inuyasha's mind was racing. He looked at the spot where Kagome had stood an instant before, where he watched as Michael, grabbed her and pulled her away from the man, his face a mask of rage. The man Kagome had stunned was alive. Inuyasha could hear him breathing. It was shallow and he was in pain, but he would live. He felt relief that Kagome had not killed him, but where was she? He couldn't smell her or even sense her now. "Damn it!" he thought desperately, "What the hell just happened here? If he hurts her . . . ."  
  
"Michael PLEASE! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't have done it, but Michael--"  
  
They stood in the parking lot in the back of club, Michael was pacing in front of her, keeping her caged with his body. The sound of his boots echoed on the asphalt.  
  
"Not a word, Kay, I mean it. I don't want to hear so much as a bloody word from you, YOU GOT THAT!" He glared at her, his hands by his sides clenched in tight fists.  
  
Kagome looked at the man facing her, he was so angry. She had never seen him like this before, distant, severe, angry. That was terrible. That he felt these things toward her now made it unbearable..  
  
Kagome looked at him, miserably. Tears fell silently down her face, leaving wet trails as she blinked through them, not bothering to try to stop them.  
  
"You screwed up mightily, lady, you know that? Do you think your powers are just a toy, something you can use any time and way the mood strikes? Is that what you think now, Kay?"  
  
Kagome didn't answer him. She knew he didn't want to hear any of her answers.  
  
"Tell me Kay, is this what I saved you for?"  
  
Kagome looked up into Michael's demanding eyes and felt sheer terror.  
  
"Michael, NO! Please don't say that! I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!  
  
"I understood what happened to you earlier tonight, when I saw you pouring your energy into song. I know why you did it, that ass of a demon showing up unnerved you. I understood Kay, I truly did, and I wanted to give you comfort, to show you it was alright. But this, to do this to an innocent man–"  
  
"Brad's no innocent, Michael! He hurt Chloe tonight. Hurt her so bad she was wearing sunglasses to cover the bruises. He beat the holy shit out of her, and you tell me he's innocent? That he didn't deserve to hurt a little himself?"  
  
"Hurt a little Kay? . . . You could of killed him if you would have hit his heart. Did you even know that? Tell me, does he deserve to die, Kay? Are you the one that gets to make those kinds of choices now, now that you have power?"  
  
Kagome had never felt so defeated, so lost. He was right, and there was nothing she could do now to take back what she had done. "I pray I didn't make a mistake with you, Kay."  
  
"Michael," she whispered, looking down at her feet "you're right. I don't deserve this chance." She allowed a single sob to escape from her throat, then closed her eyes tightly.  
  
"Kay. . . ." he said, his voice softening somewhat, "We'll let it lie for now. Let's go home." He walked away from where she stood to the gleaming, black motorcycle.  
  
Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes and looked up. Michael was sitting on the bike, his duster billowing behind him. He started the engine and over it, called to her, "Come on, Kay."  
  
Kagome let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. In a sea of fresh tears, she ran to him. She grabbed the back of his coat and straddled the bike. Without looking back at her, he handed her helmet to her and–  
  
Kagome gasped in fear as she was grabbed around the waist from behind. With lightning speed, she was being lifted off the bike, away from Michael, and into the air. Inuyasha held her as he jumped through the skies, barely touching down on rooftops. In seconds, Michael was miles away.  
  
"Hang on!" Inuyasha bellowed back at her. He had grabbed her so suddenly, she didn't have time to position herself. It had been a long time since she'd done this, held onto Inuyasha, soaring. The sensation was not unlike being on a motorcycle, but much more intense, exhilarating. Like a motorcycle rocketing through space.  
  
"Not that tight, wench!" he yelled again.  
  
Kagome uncurled her fists, her fingers where white with the tension from clutching and digging into his neck.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered into the side of his rat-fur coat. She didn't even know if he could hear her in the wind, but she whispered again, "Inuyasha. . . . thanks." Kagome closed her eyes, allowing herself to just breathe, to be in a moment where she felt only the wind on her face and her own heart beating against Inuyasha.  
  
In front of her, the hanyou smiled. 


	9. So Far To Go

____________________________________________  
  
Chapter 9 So Far To Go  
  
Inuyasha didn't slow down until he reached his destination. He landed and allowed Kagome to get down slowly. On the ground, the night air was chilly, but it was still. He looked at Kagome and saw she was shivering with cold. What little she was wearing didn't offer her much protection from the wind, and she had gotten very cold on the trip. He took off his coat and draped it over her small form. She looked up at him and smiled in gratitude but said nothing. They stood there together in darkness, the under the old God-tree in her mother's back yard.  
  
Somehow, Kagome knew this was where they would end up. She was happy and grateful to be here with Inuyasha now, but the memory of Michael's words kept repeating in her head:  
  
"I pray I didn't make a mistake with you. . . . "  
  
Inuyasha watched her. She stood with her back leaning against the tree, and she looked miserable. When he found her in the parking lot, he saw and heard what had happened between Kagome and Michael.  
  
"The way that damn bastard bullied her and the way she just TOOK it." He didn't know which bothered him worse.  
  
He had known Kagome a long time, had yelled at her more than a few times himself, both when she deserved it and when she didn't. He had never known her to be passive, to be silent when attacked. Kagome was fiery, sometimes hot-headed, but he respected her for that.  
  
Inuyasha remembered his earlier thoughts about her, when she was dancing. At least now he understood her, knew that she acted with a motive other than "other than being a whore." He mentally winced, remembering he was actually thinking that earlier. I never wanted to think the things I was thinking about you. I'm ashamed for thinking so little of you, Kagome, even for a few, terrible minutes.  
  
Maybe her judgment wasn't the best tonight, but Kagome has always been fiercely loyal to those she cared about. Knowing this about her, and understanding why she was angry at the man, her actions didn't surprise him. He even felt a little admiration for her, the way she so skillfully trapped the man and deftly dealt with him. What was surprising, what did bother him, was her powerful, new abilities. THAT was definitely another new development in her life she had neglected to tell him about.  
  
So why couldn't this Michael bastard understand her, and why had Kagome cowered, like a disobedient child, when this guy was acting like a jerk? "If he was her mate and she disobeyed him, the way she was acting would make sense. But he isn't, so . . . ."  
  
Just what Michael was to Kagome he didn't quite know yet. Somehow, this guy knew about her miko powers, but how? Why was Kagome willing to submit to him? Did he have powers too or just some kind of power over her? Inuyasha couldn't sense anything special about the man, so what was it?  
  
He badly wanted to know, but knew now was not the time to press her. She wasn't crying any longer, but Kagome's eyes were fixed on some distant point. She remained silent, lost in an ocean of sadness and guilt.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head at her and said, "You've really made a mess of your life without me, haven't you, girl?"  
  
With this, Kagome looked up at him and laughed. "Inuyasha, you don't even know the half of it."  
  
Then tell me Kagome. Tell me all of it. . . . He was relieved that she was alt least talking, even if she wasn't telling him what he wanted to know.  
  
"I've never seen you use your miko powers like that before," he said matter- of-factly. "I didn't know you could control them at will," He wanted to hear more information, but he also just wanted to keep her talking.  
  
"I didn't know I could either. It's only been in the last two months since I met Michael that. . . ." Kagome realized she was telling him more than she meant to and stopped.  
  
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and tried to catch her eyes "Since you met Michael?"  
  
"Uhm, yeah since then." Kagome looked as if she was going to say more, then stopped herself and looked down.  
  
"Is it possible this Michael is a priest or a monk like Miroku? Is he helping her learn to control her powers? This is the control he has over her? That makes sense, I guess, but she's gotten so strong, how?"  
  
Inuyasha had been truly impressed, and more than a little nervous when he watched her caused the man to crumple with a touch. This kind of power would take years, a lifetime, to develop. . . . if she's only been working with him for two months, how did her powers develop so quickly?  
  
A dark and jealous thought came unwelcome into his mind: I've known her a lot longer than this idiot. Do her new powers have something to do with how she feels for him? Does he mean more to her than–than I do?"  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm sorry, about tonight, about everything."  
  
"It's okay Kagome, I don't want you to apologize anymore for it."  
  
She sighed deeply. "I used energy twice tonight in ways that I shouldn't have. I've never done anything like this before, and I really don't have an excuse for it."  
  
He wanted to say something to comfort her, but she was talking about this, and he didn't want her stop.  
  
"I was upset with you, it's true, when I saw you at the club, but that's just because I was embarrassed."  
  
"I know Kagome, we've already talked about this," he interrupted.  
  
"We've already talked about me getting mad at you and being embarrassed, but not about why I used my powers."  
  
His ears swiveled up. He thought he had been the reason she used her powers. He didn't know how she had channeled that kind of energy into her singing, but he still remembered, still felt some of the effects of it. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop seeing her down on her knees singing with her mouth on that metal tube. . . "He shook his head, willing the memory and his newest wave of arousal away.  
  
"When I got backstage with Clo, I saw what Brad did to her. She tried to hide it from me, but--"  
  
"But you found out anyway," he said dryly.  
  
"Yes--"  
  
. . . . just like I'm finding out about all your little secrets anyway too, huh, Kagome? Secrets have a way of leaking out.  
  
"I found out anyway," she continued, "And when I saw her face, I just got so angry, Inuyasha. I think some of it happened because I was still angry at you, but mostly it was about Brad."  
  
"I understand, Kagome."  
  
"When I was singing, I didn't actually plan to use my powers, it–it just kind of happened."  
  
Inuyasha listened, sensing she was about to tell him more and not wanting to chance stopping her, he chose not to comment.  
  
"When I saw Brad at the bar, laughing, all I could see was Chloe's poor, lovely face, the sadness in her eyes. I thought about the way she keeps lying to herself and her friends about him. . . .I got so angry, so very, very angry.  
  
Inuyasha, I haven't been that angry since Naraku had us all trapped in his castle. Back then, I didn't know I was using any powers. I just knew I was angry and wanted to make him stop laughing at us, feeling so superior and knowing we were all about to die.  
  
Tonight was the only time I've ever used my powers to hurt anyone, a human, on purpose. It wasn't instinct. I knew ahead of time what I wanted to do. . . . "  
  
Inuyasha listened to her, beginning to understand more. This is what Michael had been so upset with her about. Thinking about it now, he could see that perhaps the man had a point. What Kagome did was rash, dangerous. He didn't think she wanted to kill, but if she made a habit of doing this, of letting her anger control her energy, she could become very lethal, at least to any human that makes her angry enough. She'll be able to protect herself against demons better, he thought, considering the bright-side of this development.  
  
No, as much as he hated to admit it, this Michael was probably right. She needed to keep control so her emotions didn't continue to drive her powers.  
  
"I feel terrible about it all," she said. She watched her high-heel shoe make little tracks in the dirt below the tree.  
  
Inuyasha knew intimately what it felt like to loose control to anger, and he knew the feeling of shame that could come after it too. He had been in this situation with Kagome many times before, but she had always been on the other side of it, the one consoling him, forgiving him. He hated that she was having to face these feelings now.  
  
"Was it as terrible as I think?"  
  
"What do you mean?" he looked up at her, not understanding.  
  
"The things I did when I was channeling my energy into my anger. The way I behaved, was it, was I, as bad as I think?" she said, wincing.  
  
"Kagome–don't you remember?"  
  
"Not all of it, no. When I use my powers it's a little like being, like being, well. . . . drunk." she admitted blushing. "Or like in a dream. I know what's happening when I'm in it, but later it all gets sort of fuzzy. I think a part of my mind blanks-out or something. Michael thinks it will get better, and I'll be able to remember more as I get stronger. That's why he pushes so hard with the training."  
  
Inuyasha eyes narrowed as he took in everything she told him. He thought about the last part, what she had just said about Michael and training, but was intently focused now on what she said before that:  
  
"Shit Kagome, you mean to tell me you don't remember what you did when you were singing and then when you were dancing with Brad?"  
  
The color drained from her face and Kagome looked ill. "Inuyasha, tell me, please! I already know I hurt Brad. What else did I do?"  
  
Inuyasha had never seen her look more scared, more vulnerable. What should he tell her? That she became a temptress he still could not forget? A part of him felt better, relieved, knowing that she wasn't in complete control of her actions, and now had little memory of them. "She really doesn't know what she did, what kind of an effect her singing performance had on everyone, especially me."  
  
"Uh, no Kagome, stop worrying. You weren't that bad. You sang. You danced. That's it. Nothing too special." He swallowed and tried very hard to suppress the blush he felt spreading across his own face.  
  
"Yeah, right Inuyasha, she was 'nothing special' to you tonight."  
  
Kagome gave a sigh of relief. "Are you sure, Inuyasha? Is there anything you're not telling me?"  
  
"I told you, it was no big deal! Now will you just drop it!?" Maybe I'm not telling her everything, but hey, I'm the one in the dark here! I don't think she meant to tell me know that Michael is her teacher. That's what I suspected and now I'm sure. At least there's one more part of the Kagome- puzzle solved. . . .Still, for a teacher and student, they looked very close tonight, too close. . . ."  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Thanks for the get-away. I really needed a break, sometime to think and clear my head, you know?"  
  
"It would take a lot more than a few minutes to clear your head," he snorted.  
  
Kagome sneered, "Same old Inuyasha! It really is great to be insulted by you again," she said, smiling at him now.  
  
"Hhmph!" He folded his arm across his chest and looked at her, making sure he did not let the smile he was feeling become visible.  
  
"Okay, tough guy. As much as I appreciate the save, I think it's time you take me back now."  
  
This surprised him, but he shrugged and said. "About time. Let's go." He started walking in the direction of the old well-house shrine.  
  
"No, Inuyasha, I didn't mean back there yet, I meant back to my apartment."  
  
He was surprised again, and not happy about it. "No Kagome, we're already here and we've wasted more than enough time with your 'birthday surprises'." He felt bad as soon as he said the last part, sure she was going to be mad at him again for not caring more about her birthday.  
  
Kagome wasn't mad, she actually agreed with him. "Yeah, I'd like to put that whole part of tonight behind me," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I do have to go back and take care of some things before we leave. I still need to explain to Chloe and Mika why I'm going to need to take a break from the band, I need to pack, and I really need a shower and to change clothes. I just want to get the smell of Brad's cologne off me as quick as possible."  
  
"Uugh Kagome, you don't know the half of it!" The hanyou made a face like he was going to be sick.  
  
Kagome reddened. "Oh sorry Inuyasha. If I don't like the way I smell right now, for you it must be just overwhelming."  
  
"YOU STINK WOMAN!!–IT SMELLS LIKE A HUNDRED DIFFERENT MEN HAVE BEEN ALL OVER YOU!"  
  
Kagome's blush deepened and she looked down. "God Inuyasha, do you always have to use so much tact?!" Oh, if I had the rosary now I would sit his ass so hard!  
  
"You can wash at the spring and Kaede will have decent clothing for you," he replied, strongly emphasizing the word "decent."  
  
"Inuyasha, I need to get back to my place. Michael's waiting for me. I still haven't told him I'm leaving with you or why."  
  
"Hhmph! He grumbled. You don't need to tell that idiot anything!"  
  
"Yes, Inuyasha, I do, I really do. I don't want to fight about this, but I'm not going until I'm ready."  
  
Inuyasha looked at Kagome. She had her arms folded across her chest, mirroring his most stubborn posture and was looking at him steel-eyed.  
  
"She's tired," he thought, noticing how pale and drained she looked. "More tired than she knows. She needs to rest and calm down. She won't do either if I take her back against her will."  
  
Inuyasha frowned at her. "Okay, wench, I'll take you back, but we leave tomorrow morning whether you're ready or not. No later."  
  
Kagome's face showed instant relief. She smiled weakly and said, "Thanks Inuyasha, It means a lot to me that you didn't fight me or try to force me to go."  
  
"Hhmph! Just climb on and let's get going already," he said.  
  
"He's still so cute when he's trying to act tough!" Kagome thought with a weary smile. She climbed on his back, wrapped her arms around his waist, and was happy to close her eyes and take a few minutes to rest, feeling completely safe once more.  
  
If Michael had really wanted to find me, he would have been here," she thought wearily. "What does it mean that he didn't come? Is it good or bad?. . . " 


	10. Angelic Rage

____________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 10 Angelic Rage  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome stood outside the apartment building, talking. Even though she desperately wanted to go in, Kagome was trying to convince Inuyasha to wait for her outside for a while, that she and Michael needed some private time to talk.  
  
"No way, Kagome. I'm not leaving you alone with him right now."  
  
"Look, even if he's still angry with me, Michael would never hurt me. Besides, we really need some alone-time to talk, as in time-without-you got it?"  
  
"I said no, girl. I'm not leaving unless you want to leave me."  
  
"Inuyasha, can you stop being such a control freak for once? My going back with you isn't just about our quest to find the shards anymore. It affects things here and Michael now too."  
  
Inuyasha looked at her askance. "What do you mean, it affects things here and Michael too?"  
  
There it was, her anxious smell, her rising heart-rate. Oh what now, Kagome? How much shit can one woman hide?!  
  
"I just mean that I want him to understand why I'm doing this! Look, I'm leaving with you, so for once can't you act civilly?  
  
"Huh!" Kagome thought, "Like that's going to happen. I wanted to say 'like a gentleman.' Now there's a funny thought, Inuyasha acting like a gentleman. . . . opening car doors for me, holding out the chair for me before we sit down at a table." Kagome grinned.  
  
"What's so damn funny?"  
  
"Oh nothing!"  
  
"Are you going in or not?"  
  
Kagome gave him her best sour look. "In. But I mean it Inuyasha. If you so much as start something with Michael when we get in–"  
  
Inuyasha interrupted her. Something else was bothering at him, another question: "You never told me, how do you know he's waiting for you inside?"  
  
"Um. . . . Inuyasha, the apartment's not just mine and Chloe's. Michael lives here too."  
  
For a moment there was a tense silence as Inuyasha processed this new bit of information.  
  
"Does he share your bed?"  
  
"WHAT?!! Inuyasha, NO! It isn't like that! We aren't–we don't–"  
  
"Relax Kagome, I know you're not mated to the guy. I just meant do you share the same room, same bed?"  
  
"No. There's three bedrooms. Michael's is across from the kitchen."  
  
"Hmm. And Chloe's man, the one you, uh, danced with?"  
  
"Brad doesn't live here. He has three other roommates and they share a house off-campus."  
  
Although Inuyasha was not happy to hear that Michael lived in the same apartment as the two women, especially Kagome, he was relieved that they weren't sharing a room or a bed.  
  
So that means they're just friends, right?  
  
He was relieved, too, that Brad didn't live here. If the man tried to hurt Kagome for what she did to him tonight. . . .he didn't want to go out of his way to hurt any humans, but in this case, the thought wasn't too upsetting.  
  
"I'm going to have to face Chloe too. She's going to hate me for what I did to him."  
  
"Does she know about your powers too?"  
  
"No, but she must have seen, must know I did something to him by now. I hope he's alright."  
  
"Hmph. He was breathing when I left. I think he'll be sore for a couple of days, but he should recover. He may not ever get over what you said to him though. A man doesn't easily forget something like that."  
  
"What I said? Inuyasha, you heard me? What did I say?"  
  
Oh gods! She really doesn't know, doesn't remember?  
  
"You threatened to castrate him."  
  
"I did?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Oh." Kagome looked thoughtful. "I remember--I kissed–no, LICKED HIS EAR?! Ewwh! That's GROSS! That explains why I can taste as well as smell his cologne!"  
  
Inuyasha noticed she looked upset, and asked, "What is it now?"  
  
"I need to brush my teeth."  
  
"Ha! I could have told you that hours ago."  
  
She gave him a disgusted look and walked away, leaving him to follow her up the stairs to her door. As they reached the doorway she whispered back at him"  
  
"Remember, Inuyasha, don't start any crap."  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I can't make you any promises about that," he thought.  
  
Kagome had left her purse and street clothes backstage in the club's dressing room, so she reached up on the door jam and felt for the spare key. She put it in the lock, and turned the key.  
  
Michael sat with his legs crossed on the white, leather sofa, watching her as she came through the door.  
  
He sat there, wearing an expression that was both bemused and bored.  
  
Keeping his voice low, Michael said, "Lucy, you have some explaining to do."  
  
He smiled at her and raised an eyebrow in Inuyasha's direction.  
  
Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but before she could Inuyasha had moved in front of her.  
  
"What the hell is it with you and her name anyway? It's Kagome. KA-GO-ME. Kagome. Not a hard name."  
  
Michael laughed heartily at Inuyasha. "I forgot. Demons don't watch "Nick At Nite," do you?!"  
  
Kagome made a sound between a laugh and a sigh.  
  
"Ah, but right you are, demon. Kagome is her name, and what a fair name, too. A fair name for a fair lady. My Kagome, My sweet KAY!" He laughed again. "I'm needing a word with you alone, Kay," he said, looking at Kagome, who tried to get around Inuyasha's back."  
  
"It's not happening freak," Inuyasha said, using the word the boys had called him earlier that day. If he likes to use names so much, maybe he'll like that one.  
  
"Oh, are we back to "she's MINE and so is the SAKE!" Michael gave a startlingly good impression of Inuyasha's voice, and then began to laugh again, saying: "I'm sorry Kay love, but I think your friend's crude, possessive nature can't be helped. He is a demon after all, little better than your average animal. Just like a dog with a tree, he needs to mark you in front of me, just to let me know he found you first."  
  
If Michael knew what kind of 'mark' he hit with his taunt--what a loaded word he had used to ridicule Inuyasha, he gave no indication. He seemed either oblivious to the fact that it meant to claim a life-mate by literally marking them with a bite to the neck, or was being shockingly insulting.  
  
Kagome was stunned by the comment. Was Michael really suggesting that Inuyasha had wanted to mate with her in front of him to prove a point? She felt nauseous, embarrassed.  
  
"Michael, please, apologize for that now!" She could feel the tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Inuyasha gave Michael his most threatening smile, showing all his fangs. "You dare to insult not only my honor but Kagome's as well? Now, you really have pissed me off ! If you weren't human I'd–"  
  
Inuyasha stopped, and smelled something that frightened him. He tried to lock-in on Michael's scent, and smelled NOTHING.  
  
With lightning speed, unsheathed Tetseiga. He glared at Michael through narrow, burning-orange eyes, his sword raised at his side  
  
"This fucker's not even human! What in the seven hells are you!?"  
  
"Unlike you, I don't hail from any hell, but I can quickly send you home, if you like!"  
  
Inuyasha gripped Tetseiga and tensed, ready to strike. As he moved, Kagome screamed.  
  
"Inuyasha NO!"  
  
"Stay back Kagome!"  
  
"Inuyasha NO! You can't fight him!"  
  
"Just watch me!"  
  
The two men, standing only a couple of yards apart, advanced to each other.  
  
Inuyasha took his aim, raised his blade, and  
  
found himself down on his knees. Tetseiga was floating, suspended above him. An unearthly, soft glow surrounded his sword. He tried to reach up for it, but found he couldn't move. He was down on his hands and knees, looking up at his antagonist, and unable to move, even to blink his eyes.  
  
Michael stood perfectly still, his hands were raised, palms out, in front of him. His eyes had gone from pale blue to pure white. They glowed and pulsed. Where his pupils were before, strands of blue light flashed, then disappeared.  
  
Inuyasha saw Kagome run beside him, watched her place herself in front of him,  
  
"Michael NO! Don't hurt him! Please!"  
  
If he noticed her, he gave no answer, but stood over Inuyasha, white-eyes rolling.  
  
Kagome threw herself down and covered him with her own body. Inuyasha wanted to yell at her, tell her to get away from him, to get out of this and save herself, but he couldn't speak. Never in his entire life had Inuyasha felt so powerless.  
  
He could feel Kagome's fear as she held onto him tightly.  
  
"You can't do this! You can't take a life. That's what you told me. Our job is to protect. You told me that too! Michael, I'm begging you now with my own life! Don't hurt him! Please, "she sobbed "don't hurt him!"  
  
Michael's blank eyes moved down to Kagome. They turned quickly to blue, and, instantly, Tetseiga dropped and Inuyasha was released. Kagome let go of Inuyasha and ran to Michael, hugging him and crying.  
  
"It's all right Kay, It's all right. I couldn't ever do anything that hurt you, you know that by now, don't you? And you know too, love, that if you don't want it to happen, I can't even send a demon like this one back to hell."  
  
"Michael, thank you. Inuyasha isn't evil. His soul is good."  
  
"Relax Kay, I can see that the boy means you no harm. He needs to work on that temper and filthy mouth of his though if he's to be allowed around you."  
  
"I'm getting pretty tired of these two talking about me like I wasn't here," Inuyasha thought.  
  
He was standing. Dazed by the experience, he steadied himself with Tetseiga.  
  
Inuyasha didn't know what kind of being Michael was. He wasn't human, and he didn't have the scent of a demon either. He had no scent, which was disturbing enough, but his power was beyond anything he had felt before. Even though Naraku was a formidable enemy, Inuyasha believed he would finally defeat him, never truly doubted it. But there was something different about this enemy. Inuyasha knew he had not seen even a glimpse of his true strength, and yet was held paralyzed, just by his eyes. His eyes. . .Inuyasha thought about their startling transformation, watching the blue lines of energy darting and shooting through a glowing, pure white eye. . .He worried that this was not someone he could ultimately defeat, for the first time in his adult life, doubted himself.  
  
"What the hell are you Michael, and what are you to Kagome?" he asked angrily, but his voice was still weak.  
  
Kagome looked at him with alarm as he asked this, fearful of his angering Michael again.  
  
"I already told you once, so please try to pay attention now. I'm not from hell. I'm an angel and I'm Kagome's protector, her guardian-angel if you will."  
  
"What the h–," Inuyasha started to say, but was stopped by the way Kagome was furiously shaking her head at him, "What is an angel?"  
  
"I'm a protective spirit, a servant of my maker and yours."  
  
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows, incredulous. "You're– you're a ghost with a human body?"  
  
"Technically yes."  
  
This answer makes sense. It's why he has no smell. But how is that possible? Kikyo's body is made from reanimated clay, what is he?  
  
"I am high in rank, and I have the ability to taking human form for extended periods of time. Ghosts and lesser-angels can't do this.  
  
"So you're a ghost who can use a body?"  
  
"No," Michael said patronizingly. "I don't use a body. This is my body, was my human form when I was alive. When I have a mission on earth I use of my body, really a new version of it each time, for as long as I need it. I am human in form, just not in content."  
  
"Hmmph!" Inuyasha grumbled skeptically at him. "And your mission now?" he asked.  
  
"Really love, is he always so slow?" Michael said, looking at Kagome. "I told you that already too. My mission now is Kagome. I'm her protector."  
  
"Kagome doesn't need you to protect her," Inuyasha growled.  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted before things started to escalate again. "Michael saved my life."  
  
Inuyasha took his eyes from Michael and looked at Kagome in shock. "What do you mean, Kagome?" he asked. His brow was furrowed, showing his concern.  
  
"A couple of months ago I was attacked on my way home from class. There was this crazy guy who used to watch me sing at the club. He started stalking me, making phone calls here. . . . I called the police, but there wasn't anything they could do to stop him. Then when I was walking home, he grabbed me, and. . . . "she paused, looking down, deliberately steadying her breathing. "He would have hurt me Inuyasha, but Michael showed up. He stopped him." She looked up at Michael, fresh tears and gratitude shining in her eyes.  
  
This information hit Inuyasha like a punch in the stomach. He lowered his head, his hair hiding his face, as he tried to recover. Kagome could have been killed. Michael saved her. There were many times in the past where he had protected Kagome, saved her from death. He believed it was part of job, his responsibility. He would guard her with his life, always. But where were you when this happened? You weren't here. You were stuck in your own time, didn't even know she was in danger. What if this spirit hadn't shown up to protect her? What then? . . . .  
  
There was more to it than Kagome had voiced. He could tell that too, she was not telling him everything again, but this time he was sure she that whatever else there was, she was keeping it to herself because it was too painful to talk about, not because she wanted to keep secrets. He didn't want to hurt her anymore by asking her to talk about it.  
  
Inuyasha looked up and met Michael's blue eyes. His voice tense, but sincere, Inuyasha said, "Then I owe you thanks as well."  
  
This seemed to surprise Michael. He raised his eyebrow, looked from Inuyasha to Kagome and said, "Well love, you may be right about him after all, there may be hope yet, even for this demon's soul."  
  
"Michael," Kagome said after a pause, "I need to speak with you please, it's important."  
  
"What is it, love, tell me?"  
  
"I want to speak with you in private. You're right, I do have some explaining to do."  
  
"That's good, Kay. I'm patient man, but I'm weary from the nonsense. You haven't been acting yourself tonight love."  
  
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, pleading. "Inuyasha, will you please give Michael and I some time to–"  
  
"I already said I'm not going anywhere." Inuyasha broke in, stubbornly.  
  
"Fine, Inuyasha! Michael and I will step outside, and you can stay here."  
  
"No. Wherever you go, I go."  
  
"No you're not!" "Yes I am"  
  
"Don't be such a jerk. I said NO!"  
  
"I said YES, wench!"  
  
"Inuyasha, SIT, SIT, SIT!– Oh shit!"  
  
Inuyasha stood with his arms folded across his chest. He grinned at her triumphantly.  
  
Kagome gave a deep sigh. "Inuyasha, about the rosary. . . . you know I removed it not knowing why you were back, so it wouldn't be really fair of you to not let me-- ."  
  
"Not on your life," he said grinning, hugely, "No way."  
  
Michael watched the exchange with amusement twinkling in his eyes and a slight smile. "Really children. Enough. Kay, you and I can step out on the balcony. Your demon friend will be able to see you, but we speak alone. Now does that work for everyone?"  
  
"Hmmph!" Inuyasha grunted. "Fine."  
  
Kagome didn't look happy about it, but agreed. "Let's go Michael."  
  
The two walked over to the small patio door and Kagome slid it open. Inuyasha watched as they left, noticing as Michael's hand lightly came up to her waist, not holding her, but still, making his claim on her known. Inuyasha was sure this was for his benefit. She's with him because she owes him for saving her life," he thought. "But is that really all there is? And why does such a powerful spirit, an 'angel' remain with her? He said she was his 'mission,' what does that mean?"  
  
As soon as she closed the sliding glass door behind her, Kagome whispered to Michael. "Take us up to the roof. He can hear every word we say from here."  
  
Michael held her closely. As Inuyasha watched them from the living room, they vanished, just as they had done earlier at the club. "SHIT," he said.  
  
In an instant they were standing on the roof. The night had gotten very cold, but since Kagome was still wearing Inuyasha's rat-fur coat, she felt fine. The pair stood together in silence for a moment, and then Kagome spoke.  
  
"Michael, I really am sorry about earlier. You were right. I was out of control and I am so sorry." Her sincerity was evident as she looked at him, her large, violet eyes lit with reflected starlight..  
  
"Sssh, Kay, it's alright now. I know you mean it. You're not corrupted Kay, your pure. Your power comes from your heart, that's why it's so strong, so beautiful." Kagome blushed as Michael continued:  
  
"We just have to keep working on it, keep training. You haven't even begun to harness your energy, to do what you're capable of. We'll work together and you'll even learn how to use your power to control your emotions, and not the other way round. You'll see, my earth-angel."  
  
He was smiling at her now. He had forgiven her, completely. Kagome was so relieved, she rushed to his arms. "Michael," she sobbed in joy, "thank you."  
  
"Now about your friend Kay. You told me about your past adventures with him and how you came part ways, so tell me now, how is it he's back?"  
  
"I don't know exactly how," she said, pulling herself away from his chest to meet his face, "Somehow the well was repaired. I must have damaged it on his side when I left. I never knew that before, I never knew the reason for why the well stopped working and I couldn't get back. Inuyasha told me today it was me. I guess it's another example of why I need anger- management training," she said, smiling self-consciously.  
  
"Anyway, my friends in the past fixed it somehow. Michael, it hasn't been two years on his side of the well. It's only been a month. Everything I told you about, the quest for the jewel shards that I thought was over, still goes on. He needs me Michael. I have to go back with him and finish what I started when I broke the jewel."  
  
His features looked like a stone mask. "Absolutely not, Kay. You're not leaving with him. You can't go."  
  
Kagome was stricken. What if he does stop me? No, I can't let that happen! "Michael, I have to do this. I know in my soul I have to do this. I don't have a choice, I just have to go."  
  
He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Make me understand this Kay. I need to understand. What do you mean, you know it in your soul that you have to go back?"  
  
"Do you remember when I told you about Inuyasha's love, the woman he promised his life to, Kikyo?"  
  
Michael nodded.  
  
"I am her reincarnation."  
  
"Are you now?" Michael said, looking down on her in a look that showed surprise, but also a hint of something else Why does he look amused now?  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"And how do you know this love, that you're the reincarnation of this woman Kikyo?" "The jewel Kikyo protected and died for came out of my body the first time I was pulled through the well. It happened when I was injured in a battle. I didn't even feel it, never knew it was there, inside me, until it came out. Kaede, Kikyo's sister, confirmed it. The only way this could have happened is if I was Kikyo's incarnate."  
  
"So Kaede told you that, that you were her sister's reincarnation?"  
  
"Yes. Listen, everyone in Inuyasha's time know it. It's also why people think I look enough like her to be her twin, why I'm a miko, why I have the ability to see the shards of the jewels now, to purify them, and I guess why I have these new powers too."  
  
"And you believe this, that you are her incarnation?"  
  
"Yes, of course." Kagome looked at him puzzled. Why was he having trouble understanding her suddenly?  
  
"I see. Go on Kay, tell me the rest."  
  
"I have to put it right Michael, all of it. I have to help my friends find the pieces of the jewel shard that I shattered when I first met Inuyasha. So much depends on it. I owe that to Inuyasha and Kikyo. They were cheated out of the life together and since my soul is hers, I owe it to her too, to make this right. They both deserve peace and happiness. But it's more than that, much more. If we don't make the jewel whole, if too much of it remains in the hands of Naraku, I don't know what will happen. He is not just one demon, he's the combination of many. His evil is terrible, and he has grown more powerful as he has been able to find more of the jewel than we have. He has most of, thanks to Kikyo, and–"  
  
"Thanks to Kikyo? I thought she was you. Why would she help a creature such as that get the jewel, the one that you would give your very life to protect?"  
  
This was the very question that disturbed Kagome so much in the past. Why had Kikyo done it, seemingly betrayed them all?  
  
"Michael. I'm not sure why she did it, but somehow it was part of her strategy to ultimately defeat him. We're all on the same side."  
  
"Would you have done it, Kay? Given the jewel to that beast?"  
  
"Michael, how can you ask me that? Of course not! But I'm not Kikyo and she has her own reasons for doing things."  
  
"But you are Kikyo, didn't you just tell me that?"  
  
Kagome stared at him. She honestly couldn't see what he was getting at here.  
  
"Michael, we're different people, same soul. How can you, of all people, question this?"  
  
"Because you are your soul and your soul is you, Kay," he said cryptically.  
  
"Michael, what do you mean?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. What else?"  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"You said that more was at-stake in this quest of yours than Inuyasha and Kikyo's happily-ever-after."  
  
"That's right. If Naraku wins, it may not just affect the past, the present, this world could change. I can't even imagine what could happen. He's powerful, but right now Inuyasha and I still have a chance to defeat him. Michael, if I don't do this now, there may not be another chance, for any of us."  
  
"I'm sorry Kay, I can't risk it. Inuyasha seems quite capable on his own. I'm not doubting that with Kikyo, the you that exists in his time, he'll succeed. You stay here, with me.  
  
Kagome felt desperate. She knew she was losing to him, knew she couldn't leave unless she found a way to make him see it had to be.  
  
"Michael, remember what you told me the night you saved me? You said you weren't allowed to interfere in human life or death, you told me you were bound by laws, but that this time an exception was made–"  
  
"Yes, Kay, of course I remember. The question is do you remember?"  
  
"I remember you told me about a destiny that I had not fulfilled. That I was being saved to give me the chance to do what I was put on earth to do. You told me I was running from my destiny, hiding from it for years, remember? Well, today, my destiny found me, came knocking at my door. I don't know about the rest of my life, but this one thing I know--helping Inuyasha is my destiny. I know this, I know this as I live and breathe.  
  
He stood there holding her, looking into her eyes with silent intensity.  
  
"You were planning to go with him even before you told me, weren't you?"  
  
Kagome looked down at the ground and nodded a yes.  
  
He gave a deep, sad sigh. "Alright Kay, you win. I have faith enough in you to know when you feel this strongly about something, it's got to be right."  
  
"Michael!" she cried, hugging him, "thank you."  
  
Back inside the apartment, Inuyasha sat very still. His ears were pointing straight up, where he had listened to every word of the conversation that had just taken place on the roof seven stories above him. Kagome knew he had good hearing, but she didn't remember how good. At one point, a plane flew overhead, and that was the only time he had trouble making out their words. He thought he heard Kagome say "Inuyasha's my destiny." He wasn't sure. Did she say this? "Does she mean that? What if she does mean that? What then?"  
  
He frowned in his own confusion. There was far way too much to think about. His head hurt. He was tired, hungry. He knew one thing, that he was relieved. Kagome was going back with him. After witnessing Michael's power earlier, knew that if her new protector didn't want her go, neither Inuyasha or Kagome would have been able to do anything about it.  
  
Back on the rooftop, Michael still held Kagome and stroked her hair softly with his hand. He waited a few minutes before speaking again, allowing himself the pleasure of simply holding her.  
  
"Kay. . . . I can't go with you. My body is bound to this time. I can't exist in another."  
  
"Michael, I'll be alright. Inuyasha will protect me." Besides, she said, laughing a little "if my mother could trust me to take care of myself at fifteen, I think you trust me now. I'll get through this and then I'll come back to you. I know I have duties in this time too. Will you be alright going it alone for awhile?"  
  
He laughed down at her and said, "Ay, my fairy-fay Kay. I've been on my own for a few millennia now. I can handle the beasties-that-be without aid. It's your face and company I'm sure I can't live without."  
  
He had made her blush again, but she smiled up at him, pleased. She had gotten used to his flirtatious teasing somewhat.  
  
"Michael," she laughed. "stop teasing me!"  
  
"Okay love, I'll stop, "he grinned, "but I'm not teasing. I mean every word, I give you my angel's oath on it."  
  
She laughed again and hugged him tight. If anyone would have seen the pair on the roof, they might have thought they were experiencing a hallucination, or a late-night, waking dream. In an instant, they were gone. Inuyasha looked up as they reappeared on the balcony. 


	11. Sleep Over

Chapter 11 Sleep Over  
  
Inuyasha noticed, with great irk, that Kagome and Michael were holding hands, looking very comfortable with each other, as they came through the door and walked back into the living room. "Well demon," Michael said, "It seems my Kay here has her heart and mind set to return with you to your own time."  
  
"Of course she has, she knows where she belongs," he said, just hoping to annoy Michael. "He may be holding her hand now, but soon enough he won't be able to get anywhere near her," he consoled himself.  
  
"Inuyasha, please don't start, and Michael, his name is Inuyasha, not 'demon.' Please stop being rude to him."  
  
Michael didn't respond, but smiled at her, happily. She felt like a playground monitor, sending warring five-year-olds to separate corners. "Jeez. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep the peace between those two. The sooner we leave, the better."  
  
"I'm going to shower, then pack, then sleep," Kagome announced. "Inuyasha, we can leave first thing in the morning."  
  
He didn't argue with her about leaving sooner. He knew she was beyond tired.  
  
"Michael, did Clo, come home?"  
  
"No, You should call her cell and check-in."  
  
"Do you think she'll hate me?" Kagome asked frowning.  
  
"I think you should call her."  
  
Kagome sighed, and turned to walk into her bedroom. "Michael, Inuyasha, can you two play-nice while I shower and call Chloe?" she turned and asked.  
  
"On my word of honor love, I won't hurt your dem–Inuyasha, unless I have your blessing."  
  
"And you, Inuyasha? Can you be civil to him for five minutes?"  
  
"Hhmph! I'm counting down, so you better be quick, wench."  
  
Michael raised an eyebrow and shot Inuyasha a quick, dangerous look. He turned back to Kagome and gave her his sweetest smile. "Go on love, call her, gives us a chance to become chums."  
  
It was Kagome's time to raise her eyebrows. She snorted and gave Michael a parting shot before closing the door to her room, "I'll buy that when hell freezes!"  
  
She walked into her room and flopped down on her back on her bed. She sighed again, allowing her tired mind and body to momentarily enjoy the wonderful feeling of a soft, warm bed. She rolled over on her stomach and dialed Chloe's number. Out in the living room, Inuyasha remained seated on the sofa. Michael walked slowly over to an armchair, and, never taking his eyes off Inuyasha and keeping his posture stiff, sat down.  
  
"I thought I told you to watch your filthy mouth, "Michael said in a low, threatening voice.  
  
"What the hell are you yapping about now?" Inuyasha replied.  
  
"Your manners, FRIEND, are lacking. Kagome is a woman, a wonderful woman who you are not fit to be in the same universe with. Not a wench. Not any crude name you may think you can abuse her with. You WILL treat her with respect, you will not upset her. If you do, you will be coming nowhere near her, do you understand me, Inuyasha?"  
  
Inuyasha shot him a dirty look. "What Kagome and I say, or do when we're together is none of your business." He had added the word "do" just for the pleasure of implying something that might upset the man. "Ha! Let him think about that for a while!"  
  
He knew that Michael had no hold on Kagome once they left this time, had heard him say it. "He's just blowing hot-air now, trying to act like he's in control because he knows she's leaving him and it's what she wants!"  
  
"Everything that concerns Kagome is my business," he replied. "Don't fool yourself for an instant to make sure I won't do everything in my power--and I have a lot--to protect her."  
  
"I was protecting her years before you even met her, so back off!"  
  
"That may be true, but she's not now, and never has been your first priority, has she?"  
  
Michael had stunned him, hit a nerve. How could he answer that? Kagome was his friend, his comrade-in-battle along with Sango, Miroku and even Shippo. He would have, and had, put his life on the line to protect any of them, especially Kagome. But was she his "first priority?"  
  
"She can't be my first priority, it's not possible. Getting the jewel back and whole, defeating Naraku once and for all, Kikyo . . . .Hell, I don't even know what I want anymore, just what I have to do. But what do I feel for Kagome? Where does she fit? She is from another time, another world. Even if I wanted her to come first, how could she?  
  
Michael waited, as Inuyasha took in his words and weighed them. Then he continued:  
  
"Know this: Kagome IS my first priority. There is no question about it. Her happiness, her health, her safety. That means whatever it takes, whatever she needs, wants, I'm here to ensure it. It gives me no delight to leave her alone with you. You know by now I could stop her from going with you as easily as I can raise my hand. I won't stand in her way because this is what she wants now, but make no mistake about who protects her."  
  
For once, Inuyasha was speechless. He wished he was back home. He needed time to think about this, all of it. He was suddenly feeling the need to run, far and long.  
  
Kagome opened the door to her room, wearing a fluffy, white terry robe. Her wet hair hung in sleek, dark waves down her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the shower. She tossed her head to one side, and began toweling her hair dry, as she smiled down at the two men.  
  
Inuyasha glanced at her sideways, careful not to let her or Michael notice him watching. "Gods! Why does she have to be so damn beautiful?" Freshly showered, clean from make-up and smelling now only of her soap and own sweet scent, he found her amazing. "She has no idea how she looks right now, and she's even more-beautiful because of it."  
  
"Well! This must be some kind of a miracle," Kagome looked up from her hair- drying ritual and said. "Are you two actually getting along and having a quiet conversation?"  
  
"We're fine here, aren't we Inuyasha?" Michael responded.  
  
"We're not fighting," was all Inuyasha was willing to say. This seemed to be enough to please Kagome greatly. She gave a happy smile that made her already-glowing face light up even more.  
  
"Michael, I spoke with Chloe. Brad doesn't know what happened to him and neither does Chloe. The doctors think Brad had some kind of 'angina attack' brought on by stress and drinking. It happened right after I left. They took him to the hospital and said he needs to rest and stay away from alcohol, but he should be fine. What's more, Chloe said he had some kind of dream–an angel came to him and told him he needed to treat her better, he swears he's going to reform."  
  
"Well, then, maybe he's better-off for your stunt," Michael said. "He must have quite a stubborn unconscious to turn what you did to him into a visit from an angel. Honestly love, you're gonna give all a bad name."  
  
Kagome gave a small laugh at this.  
  
"I'm really glad he's going to be okay. I guess I'm lucky that he doesn't remember, I just feel bad lying to Chloe, not telling her what happened, admitting what I did."  
  
"Do you think she'd believe you even if you told her the truth?" Inuyasha asked, breaking in to the conversation.  
  
"No, I don't. She'd tell me I was crazy, and that it was just a sick fantasy on my part that I had anything to do with it because I don't like Brad."  
  
"Then don't tell her," he stated. "At least she feels bad when she lies. I wonder, is her conscious bothering her about the things she's not telling, me?"  
  
"What did you tell her about the band?" Michael asked.  
  
"I explained that I was sick with hepatitis, and that Inuyasha and I were going to take a road-trip to visit some of my old friends who live in the country where I can rest and recover. Mika's sister can play keyboards, and Chloe can take lead vocals until I get better. She said she'll come home tomorrow to see me before I leave, she's staying with Brad tonight at the hospital."  
  
"I'm impressed love, you think quickly."  
  
"I guess after years of lying to friends at school about where I kept disappearing to, I'm used to making-up cover stories. I'm just a little nervous that it's become second-nature for me!" "And now I've had a whole conversation with one of my best-friends that was a lie. Real nice."  
  
Inuyasha seemed to read her mind and said, "Yeah Kagome, you lie good."  
  
The comment produced the desired effect of making her look flustered and hot-cheeked.  
  
"Well," she said, glaring at Inuyasha, "I need to pack." Kagome turned and went into her bedroom and was a little surprised to see Inuyasha standing at her door, looking in.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"I'll keep you company while you pack. The air out there smells bad."  
  
Kagome knew this was a not-so-subtle way of complaining about Michael. Inuyasha had kept his promise, he didn't start a fight while she showered and talked to Chloe. Maybe he had earned a break. Michael could be a little intense, she knew. There were times he seemed able to read her thoughts, her very soul. It could be unsettling.  
  
"Fine," she said, "have a seat," pointing to her bed, "but this is going to take a while. I haven't packed for the Feudal Era for a long time, and I want to make sure I don't forget anything."  
  
Kagome turned to her closet and brought out not the yellow backpack he expected, but a jumbo-sized duffle bag, almost four-feet long.  
  
"Your not planning on bringing that are you," Inuyasha asked, staring incredulously at the huge, canvas bag.  
  
"Yes, Inuyasha, I am. If I'm going to be living away from my time for awhile, I intend to be a lot better prepared for it that I was back then."  
  
Kagome shuddered to think how breezy she had been about leaving her own time when she was young–back then she would throw in a few ramen packets and treats for Shippo, a couple apples, a handful of bandages, a single change of clothes, and then load the pack down with schoolbooks and paper. Facing the past now, she was damn-well going to be ready for any possibility. She wasn't going to change her routines any more than she had to either, so that meant her largest duffle-bag, it still had the "AA Airlines" tag on the handle from her trip to America last summer. That all seemed so far away now. . . .  
  
"Hmmph!" he grunted. "You did fine before with your old pack. Besides, I'm not carrying that thing for you."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of asking you to, Prince Charming," she answered sarcastically.  
  
He didn't know who "prince charming" was, but Kagome often made little jokes and comments that only she seemed to get. Sometime later he would make her tell him what she meant.  
  
Kagome turned and stared digging through drawers, under her bed, in her closet, compiling a vast mound of clothes and shoes. There were many colors and styles to the odd-looking assortment of garments. She walked back and forth to her adjoining bathroom, throwing piles of all kinds of toiletries and funny-smelling bottles on the bed with the clothes.  
  
"Are you trying to attract attention and suspicion to us?!" he said, aggravated that she was continuing to add to the pile. "Your school uniform was bad enough, but at least people got used to that. What's all this anyway?"  
  
"Inuyasha, none of your business. I'll bring what I want to bring, and if that means I decide to take ten prom gowns and a tiara, I will. Now, be quiet and let me concentrate!"  
  
"Fine woman, but you used to be practical."  
  
"I mean it Inuyasha, be quiet or go back out there with Michael. Maybe you two could watch a good movie on TV together."  
  
"Hhmph!"  
  
He turned his head away from her, to the little night-stand by her bed. "Who's this?" he said, looking a picture of a man's face in a silver frame. The picture was black-and-white, but it was obvious the man in the picture had very light hair, curly, and cut very close to his head. His hairline was receding in the front, suggesting the man would loose his hair as he aged. He was youthful-looking, younger than Michael but older than Kagome, "maybe 21 or 22," he guessed. His eyes looked dark. His nose was small, and somewhat upturned, but what Inuyasha noticed most was the man's smile, it was crooked, smug-looking. There was something familiar about this man. . .  
  
"Who's this?" he said, taking the photo in his hand and holding it forward to Kagome.  
  
"That's Paul, Chloe's cousin," Kagome answered, not looking at him.  
  
"That's Paul, Kagome's fiancée," Michael said, leaning casually in the doorway.  
  
"Michael--" she began to say something, obviously surprised to hear him speaking now.  
  
"What does that mean?" Inuyasha asked him, cutting Kagome off.  
  
"Didn't she tell you? That's the man our lovely Kay has agreed to marry."  
  
Inuyasha felt the floor drop. He closed his eyes, willing the sensation that room was spinning round him to stop.  
  
"Is this true, Kagome?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level.  
  
Kagome gave an exasperated sigh. "I met Paul last summer. He lives in America. I was there for a study-abroad program. I was already living with Chloe here, and she set it up for him to show me around a little while I was there. He's a medical student too, so we have a lot in common."  
  
"Is it true?" He asked again.  
  
The look on his face was so serious, his voice sounded so sad, Kagome felt guilty, She could tell this was hurting him, and a question tugged at the back of her mind, "Why, why does he look so upset?"  
  
"Yes," she answered in a low, steady voice. "He asked me to marry him last Christmas. He came to visit Chloe and we. . . ." she broke off, looking down at the ground. "We're not rushing into anything. He wants to finish his residency and I just started my second term, so, it'll be a year or two before. . . . before we're married."  
  
Michael walked over to the bed. "Paulie here's going to be a urologist, do you know what kind of special man it takes do that, Inuyasha?"  
  
Kagome glared at him, her temper flaring. "Michael, cut it out. I'm tired of you always putting him down. There's nothing wrong with urology."  
  
"If you don't mind sticking your finger up mens' asses to feel prostrates, then no, there's nothing wrong with it at all."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. THIS is the man she's chosen? I thought Michael was the one she wanted. I've been trying to accept that, but now I've got to think about her with HIM?" He felt a pain in his chest, it was growing, threatening to choke him.  
  
"The fact of the matter Inuyasha, is that Paul is a pompous-ass, even worse than you, which is quite a feat. If I had met you a little sooner Kay, you wouldn't be promised to him, that much we both know."  
  
"Okay Michael, THAT'S ENOUGH! The only pompous ass I see right now is you! Now get OUT!" She picked up a perfume bottle and threw it at him, barely missing the side of his head.  
  
"Okay, okay, love!" he said, laughing at her and looking happy and satisfied. "Just one question, if you don't mind?"  
  
"WHAT?!" Kagome glared.  
  
"If you are properly engaged to him, why don't you wear that little ring he gave you, you know, the one that's supposed to proclaim you as taken to the world?"  
  
Kagome flushed, hot and angry. "I will wear his ring when both of us are ready to announce that we're engaged. We both have other commitments now, you know that," she said coldly.  
  
"But the way it looks to me love, Paulie-boy is ready. It's you who wants to wait. You've not properly agreed to his proposal, you've only promised him to later consider making a promise to him ."  
  
Kagome didn't answer him. That sounded so dumb, but yes, it was true. She had his ring, kept it in her drawer. When Paul surprised her with it last Christmas, she was truly happy. But, somehow, wearing it just didn't feel right, not yet. She told Paul she was waiting to wear it and, even though he wasn't happy about that decision, didn't press her. Why was Michael bringing this up now, and in front of Inuyasha? Did he have to press all her buttons, expose her every vulnerability?  
  
Inuyasha listened grimly. Somehow, he knew that Michael was giving him more information about Kagome's current life than she would have ever volunteered. What he didn't understand was why? This was private information between the two of them. Why was Michael letting him know? He had to admit, he did feel better, knowing that Kagome's decision to marry wasn't finalized yet. Still, in the month that had passed since he had seen her, "four damn weeks is all--" she had changed so much, was involved with a man–two men–who were a huge part of her life. A life that he was an outsider to.  
  
"The question is not how does she fit into my life now. The question is, do I have any part in hers?"  
  
He realized the irony of the situation–He actually understood how Michael was feeling now, could even sympathize with him. Not that long ago he was Kagome's protector, and although that was all he was, her protector and friend, he hated thinking about her returning to her own time, a life that included the threat of other males taking her away. "Michael is my replacement. Paul is Hojo's." Inuyasha smiled bitterly.  
  
As if on cue, the phone rang. Kagome picked up and heard Paul's voice:  
  
"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday KA-GO-ME, Happy birthday to you!"  
  
He sang terribly, off-tune in a scratchy baritone. "Oh God, what time is it in the states? Four, five-o' clock in the morning? He stayed up to sing that me." She knew he was being sweet, wanting to call her to wish her a happy birthday. Still, she couldn't help feeling impatient.  
  
"Can you hold on a minute? My roommate and a friend are in here, and I want to get some privacy."  
  
"Sure honey," he said, "But every minute costs money, you know, so don't take too long." She rolled her eyes at the phone, and then turned to Michael and Inuyasha.  
  
"You two can leave and close the door now," she said, but it wasn't a suggestion, it was a demand.  
  
"Oh come on Kay, Michael teased, deliberately raising his voice, "Why don't you let Inuyasha and I say hello to whoever it is?"  
  
"Sssh!" she hissed. "GET OUT, both of you!" She covered the phone with her hand and stage-whispered this last command.  
  
Michael turned to leave, but not before saying something to Inuyasha, again making his voice much-louder than necessary: "I don't know what she's so touchy about. After all, if a grown woman wants to entertain two men in her bedroom that's her business!" He grinned wickedly at her, bowed, and left.  
  
Inuyasha remained on the bed, his eyes locked on hers. Kagome waited, furious, and still holding her hand over the receiver.  
  
"Inuyasha, will you give me a minute, please," she said in a low, sweet voice. She changed her tone and actually gave him a little pleading smile. It was Michael she was really upset with now, not him.  
  
Inuyasha shrugged and asked "Why?"  
  
"Because this is Paul. I need to tell him I'm not going to be able to see him this summer like we planned, and I want to be alone when I do this."  
  
She knew going back to the past with Inuyasha meant withdrawing from all her classes this term, and that meant she wouldn't qualify for a place in the summer internship program in Austin, where Paul was. She knew what her decision to go with Inuyasha was going to mean to her future, and had felt some regret, but she wasn't going to change her mind.  
  
"Alright Kagome," he said, surprisingly understanding, "I'll wait outside for you."  
  
He appreciated her honesty and thought about her situation. No, she hadn't volunteered much to him about her life. Most of what he knew he had learned by over-hearing her conversations and what Michael had just forced her to reveal.  
  
"How much about your own life have you shared willingly with her? How much about your past with Kikyo did you want to tell her? You didn't even want her to know when you met with Kikyo; you didn't want to let her in at all." He chastised himself, remembering all the times Kagome had acted hurt, angry, when she knew he was keeping things from her.  
  
He understood her much better now, both Kagome's–the one who used to get angry with him in the past and the one who frustrated him so much in the present. He stood up and as he turned to leave, glanced back at her pale, tense form, still clutching the phone tightly in her hand. He felt a sudden twinge of caring and sympathy for the young woman. "You're trying to live a lot of separate lives Kagome and I think you were doing that even before I came back. You need rest. Rest and a chance to get away from these pressures." He decided that if possible, he would find a way to get her to rest-up a little when they returned to his time.  
  
After several minutes passed, Kagome came out of her room looking drawn.  
  
Michael walked over, and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Kay? He didn't take the news very well, did he?"  
  
Kagome nodded. When she had told Paul her cover story about having hepatitis, he wanted to schedule the first flight over. (He was going to use the money to buy a new, flat-screen television set, he wanted her to know, but he was willing to do this for her. Maybe she could pay him back later.)  
  
Kagome had tried to tell him nicely not to come, that she had made plans to go visit old friends. Paul happily volunteered to go with her to the country. She never dreamed he would want to take time off his residency even if he could. When he insisted, she was cornered and finally had to say,  
  
"I don't want you to come, Paul."  
  
She had confused him, hurt him. He accused her of lying about being sick just to avoid him, and of course, he was right, but not for the reasons he thought. There was no way she could tell him the truth:  
  
"I'm going to take a trip back in time, to fight some nasty demons and search for the pieces of a magical jewel. Oh yeah, I am a priestess with powers that were given to me so I can fulfill my destiny. Sorry Paul. . . ." He would be here on the first overnight flight, trying to get her committed and researching the right medical cocktail to treat her psychotic break.  
  
She really had no other choice. "I just need some time, Paul," she finally had to say. "I need to get away and think."  
  
"But you won't be away by yourself; you'll be with your friends, right?" He asked, sounding hurt and betrayed. He didn't ask if there was someone else in her life, his meaning was clear.  
  
"I need some time away from school, from all the pressures in my life. I'm not asking for forever, just for a while. Can you trust me, give me some space?" Honestly, she wasn't sure what answer she was hoping for when she asked the question.  
  
He agreed to wait, for awhile, but she could tell he doubted her sincerity in every way.  
  
"Ah Kay, what's done is done, no use shedding more tears tonight, especially over Paulie," Michael tried to make it sound consoling, but it was more like cajoling.  
  
"Michael?"  
  
"Yes, I want to fix a late dinner for us. While I do that, will you take this shopping list and pick up the rest of the things I need to take with me?" She handed him a list and a folded stack of bills from her purse.  
  
"Are you trying to get rid of me too, now?" he asked playfully.  
  
"I am trying, "she said, "To find a way to get you to stop helping me with Paul." She reached up and tugged a handful of his wavy, soft-brown hair. She was not mad at him. His teasing did help; she could get so damn heavy, so serious. Michael knew how to make her laugh, lift her mood with one irresistible grin.  
  
"Alright, love. Just like a woman to send a man to do her shopping."  
  
She gave him a parting smile and said "thanks!" as he walked through the door.  
  
Inuyasha had been watching her, watching them, during this latest exchange. He sat sulkily on the couch. "She didn't even look at me, while he was here," he thought. "She used to be so–  
  
Devoted to you? It bothers you now that you don't hold her attention every minute. Hell, she's just had a fight with a man she's going to marry and another man is making her feel better. She's not thinking about you at all."  
  
Inuyasha was wrong. She knew he was there. After she got off the phone with Paul she was miserable. More than anything, she wanted to give into her first impulse, to run to him, ask him to hold her, comfort her again like he had earlier. She couldn't do that with Michael present, so she made herself deliberately aloof. "I know I might seem unfriendly if I just ignore him, but if I look at him, I may not be able to help myself. I want him to hold me again, just hold me. He probably won't even notice if I don't look at him now. . . ."  
  
But now Michael was gone and her excuse for keeping her distance with him, so there was no way to keep cold-shouldering him without seeming rude. She had to talk to him, act normal.  
  
"Hey Inuyasha, you want to go into the kitchen with me while I cook dinner?" She tried to make the question sound light.  
  
Inuyasha stood up and turned sideways, looking away from her, up to the ceiling. "Is someone talking to me? Sorry, I must have imagined it. I know when Michael's around, Kagome isn't able to talk to or even see anyone else."  
  
Uh-oh. Hanyou sarcasm. He had noticed her little routine. Now she felt she really couldn't take it if he was angry with her too. She had made so many mistakes, a record number, and in just one afternoon.  
  
"Oh Inuyasha!" she said, almost crying. She ran over to the startled hanyou and wrapped her arms around him, not saying anything, just holding on to him, tight.  
  
"Hmmph! Get a hold of yourself stupid girl! I was just joking!" He tried to make it sound gruff, but he was so surprised when she hugged him instead of hitting him, he was thrown completely off-guard. "Oh Kagome, maybe you're grown-up now, but you still need to be taken care of, don't you?" He allowed himself to let one arm lightly touch her waist. Kagome held fast, and although her silent tears had stopped flowing, she was giving herself time to compose herself, hoping to rid her face of the humiliating blush she knew was there from feeling so weak.  
  
Feeling her heart beat so close to his, surrounded again by her wonderful scent and the rhythm of her breathing, Inuyasha smiled. He was in no hurry for her to let go.  
  
Michael came back as she was putting dinner on the table. The human woman, angel, and half-demon ate a modest meal of pad tai and salad. They enjoyed a quiet, almost disturbingly normal meal together.  
  
Kagome then got to work gathering her food and medical supplies to put in the bag along with, as far as Inuyasha could tell, everything she owned. She hadn't been in medical school very long, and didn't know too much about diagnosis and treatment protocols yet, but she knew a lot more than she did at fifteen. She packed antibiotic pills that she had left-over from her own previous sinus infection, ointments, bee and snake bite emergency treatment, water purifying tablets, alcohol wipes, ace bandages, and a pharmacy's worth of other supplies. She also packed her CPR training manual, even though she had been certified and recertified as a summer lifeguard for years. When she was done packing, she looked like a sleepwalker.  
  
Michael came up behind her and put his arms around his waist. "Time for bed love, you've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."  
  
Inuyasha didn't know what bothered him more, watching that man constantly paw her, or the fact that after touching her, she carried no scent from him, only her own. It was eerie. Everything has a scent, why not him? Hmph! I'm half-human, half-more than he is, damn ghost.  
  
Watching them, he instinctively gave a low growl. "Can't you keep your damn hands off her?!"  
  
"No. I really can't. Besides, Kay doesn't mind. We're close, very close." Michael was grinning as he continued to hold Kagome's waist from behind, enjoying Inuyasha's aggravation.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Honestly, enough is enough. I'm tired of this macho-crap. I want you two to give it a rest." she said, her tone clearly conveying she was tired and serious. "You're right. We all need sleep." She deftly moved out of Michael's embrace. "Inuyasha, I know it's not the most comfortable couch, but you're welcome to sleep there. There really aren't any trees around here where you can sleep without been seen."  
  
"He sleeps in trees?!" Michael asked in a scandalized voice. "Does he lift his leg and--"  
  
"Michael, SHUT UP!" Kagome said, turning to give a look that said "stop or die."  
  
Inuyasha chose to ignore him this time, happy that Kagome was standing up for him again and had moved out of his arms.  
  
"The couch smells like a slaughtered cow," he said, wrinkling his nose. "I'll just sleep on the floor of your room."  
  
"I don't think so, "Michael replied.  
  
"And I don't care what you think," Inuyasha responded.  
  
"Your bedroom's gonna be crowded then, love, because if he's bunking with you, I'll be doing the same."  
  
Kagome shook her head and gave a tired sigh. She hadn't expected a problem with the sleeping arrangements. They all just needed to go to bed, she didn't care where. The last thing any of them needed now was another full- blown argument.  
  
"Look," Kagome said. "I'll get bedding for Inuyasha to sleep on the floor in here. Michael, go to your room." She smiled a little, aware of the fact that she just sounded like his mother.  
  
He grinned back at her. "I love it when you take control!"  
  
"Good, then go to sleep!"  
  
She went into her room and came out with a pile of pink and white comforters, blankets, and pillows.  
  
"Here Inuyasha," she said, unceremoniously dumping the pile on the living room floor. "I hope you'll be comfortable. Now goodnight, both of you." Kagome turned to go into her own room.  
  
"Kay–"Michael called.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Sweet dreams love." "You too," she said with a thin, weary smile, "Both of you."  
  
She closed the door behind her, feeling strangely happy and content. She shook her head at herself as she undressed and quickly slipped on a night tee. "After all that's happened in one day, I'm feeling happy now? Yes, I am. I am happy. Two of the people I love the most are with right here, right now. I never thought I'd see Inuyasha again, let alone have him sleeping in my living room."  
  
With her eyes and mind getting fuzzy, Kagome finally turned off her bedside light and went to sleep. As she gave into the whirl of dream images taking over her consciousness, a part of her knew she had not felt so happy, so peaceful in a very long time. 


	12. Parting Shots

__________________________________________________ Chapter 12 Parting Shots  
  
Inuyasha did not sleep much that night. He was comfortable enough, Kagome's bedding was soft, and her scent permeated the blankets, pillows. It was nice. Still, breathing her scent, knowing she was sleeping behind the door where his eyes now gazed was making him feel tense. He tried to relax, but his mind was racing.  
  
Michael sleeps in his own room, not with her, she told you that, remember? Yeah, but it's not like I'd be able to tell if he WAS sharing a bed with either. . . .  
  
So many changes in her, I wish there weren't so damn many changes. I wish things were--I wish she was-- just as I saw her last-- younger, too-skinny, less developed. She's, she's hard to get used to this way. I don't know if I want things to change between us. I don't know if I'm ready for it.  
  
He thought about all the ways she had appeared to him today:  
  
Kagome surprised and shocked to see me. . . .Kagome hugging me, Kagome telling me she loved me. . . . Kagome kissing me. . . .lying to me. . . . singing on stage, driving me crazy for her. . . .Kagome with new power. . . .Kagome with Michael. . . .Kagome dancing with Brad. . . . Kagome talking about getting married to Paul.... Kagome packing. . . .hugging me again. . . . Kagome leaving with me in a few hours. . . .  
  
His mouth went from a smile, to a frown, to a smile and back, as he tried to make some sense out of what he was thinking, what he was feeling. He was only half-human and didn't need much sleep to be refreshed, but even he was getting tired.  
  
Does Michael sleep? Have I ever seen a sleeping ghost? No, but I've never seen one in the flesh either. He said he is human when he's like this, so maybe his body needs rest too. . . .  
  
Inuyasha's thoughts and worries were gradually melting away. He drifted off to sleep, and, surrounded by Kagome's scent, dreamt of sleeping with her in his arms.  
  
His eyes opened slowly, not wanting to focus. He was disoriented. Not knowing where he was or how he got there, he sat up, quickly feeling alarm. "I'm on a floor, in a strange room, sitting in a pile of blankets. . . . Kagome's home, Kagome's blankets. It was all coming back fast, strange as the situation was, yes, it was reality.  
  
His sensative ears heard soft sounds above him, a quiet conversation. Inuyasha rose, walked out the balcony, and looked up. He quickly jumped up to the rooftop to find Michael and Kagome sitting on a picnic blanket, sharing a meal.  
  
"Good morning Inuyasha!" Kagome said, brightly smiling. "I hope you slept alright. Do you want some tea and a sandwich?"  
  
The air outside was still chilly and damp, the sky barely pink. In all the time he had known her, she was always, always, the last one to get up. He shook his head. A happy, alert Kagome before sunrise was a strange site.  
  
"Yeah, sure," he said, looking out at the skyline. He was slightly uncomfortalbe, and wondered if he was intruding. Finding that the pair had awoken before him and left him sleeping, he was thrown off.  
  
"What are you doing up so early anyways?" he asked, sitting down cross- legged by her and trying to ignore Michael's presence.  
  
"We were going over a few things, just training exercises, " Kagome said, pouring him a cup of hot tea from the thermos and handing him a roll with cheese.  
  
Inuyasha nodded, wondered what kind of 'training' Michael was giving her, but didn't ask.  
  
Almost reading his thoughts, Michael said, "Kay's getting quite good you know. It's timing and control she needs to work on now, the skills are there."  
  
Kagome blushed a little at the compliment.  
  
"Good at what?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Fighting of course, "Michael answered.  
  
Inuyasha snorted and almost spilled his tea. "Kagome, fight?! Ha!"  
  
Kagome was blushing again, this time embarrassed. "It's not really fighting, it's more like defensive-stuff; you know, blocking attacks and evading."  
  
"Oh. . . . "Inuyasha said, a wide smile growing on his face, "You mean running away. You've actually learned how to run away?! That's great Kagome! I wish you would have had that skill sooner. You know, I could ask Myoga to continue your training in THAT department!"  
  
He was laughing, hard. "Listen you jack-ass half-demon! "Michael said, angry, "she's training with me to be a spirit-fighter. You don't know what that means, do you? Well, it involves facing very evil, angry spirits, and protecting innocents. Kagome's been learning from me and been helping me since we met. We're not talking about about physical battles with these creatures, but mental ones. What we do is tricky business. It's dangerous, and yes, Kagome is good. She's helped me and others get out of many fights."  
  
Inuyasha was shocked by this information. He looked from Michael to Kagome, who was looking down at the blanket. Somehow he knew that once again Michael had told him something Kagome wouldn't have revealed herself.  
  
"Sorry Kagome, "he said, feeling abashed. He wanted to know what Michael meant. "I didn't know. What exactly do you do in these battles?"  
  
"It's like Michael said, "she said, still looking down and clearly feeling self-conscious. "We go to places angry spirits haunt. Sometimes they attack and kill the living, especially children if they can get them. Mostly they attack other spirits, innocent spirits, and hold them prisoner."  
  
Still shocked and trying to understand, he asked "Why do they hold other spirits?"  
  
Kagome took in a deep breath and answered, "Because they are so filled with rage and hate they want to drain the life force and happiness from everyone else. They are jealous spirits, jealous that others are happy, that they have accepted death as another existence and are ready to move on. Because they can't move on, they don't want anyone else to either. Some of them are very, very old. They've been around a long time, and they've gotten more powerful and more evil during that time."  
  
"And you help these spirits?" he asked, incredulously.  
  
"No," Michael broke in. "They can not be helped. They are beyond help, beyond salvation. They exist, will always exist, in their own dark reality. It's not the same reality that you are from Inuyasha, It's not this present time either. Their world is the darkest of dark places, and it's beyond time. It's the innocent spirits and living we fight them for, those are the ones we protect and save. Kagome helps me to do that, to set innocents free."  
  
Inuyasha felt himself growing tense, uncomfortable, and angry. He's dragging her into this kind of shit, teaching her how to face these things–she's no safer here than she is fighting demons in my time!"  
  
"And you've brought Kagome into this!? Damnit! You say you're her protector, she's your first priority, right? How can you let her do this?!"  
  
"Inuyasha STOP!" Kagome said, not giving Michael a chance to answer. "Michael is helping me. He's teaching me how to do what I was born to do, what I'm meant to do, and yes, he does protect me. I want to do this work, I have to, just as I have to help find the pieces of the jewel and defeat evil in your time. You reminded me of that yesterday, remember?"  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. Yes, he remembered chastising her, making her feel she had an obligation to return with him even when she didn't want to. He didn't know anymore if he had done the right thing then. He remembered what she said yesterday; after talking about her school and work, she had said something about having "other obligations" in this time too. He didn't know what she meant then, but he did now. He was beginning to have doubts about what he was asking her to do.  
  
"Yes, Kagome. But how are you supposed to be helping me and helping him?" he asked.  
  
"Kagome can go with you to do what needs to be done, but she will come back here, to this time, to me to continue our training and work regularly," Michael stated flatly.  
  
"Since I have hepatitis and withdrew from my classes this term, at least I won't have homework and tests this time, "Kagome said lightly. Michael and I talked about it this morning, and we agreed I'd check in for a couple of days every three weeks. That way I can get in some training and help Michael too," Kagome added.  
  
"Kay, I believe I said you were to check-in every week."  
  
"No Michael, I told you, a week was not enough time. Sometimes we have to take long journeys on foot. There is no rapid-transit. A week doesn't allow enough time for traveling."  
  
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows, aware of the irony here. The last time he saw her, he would be the one arguing she needed to stay longer, while she was always trying to get home more. "I never thought I'd hear her say she needed to stay LONGER in m time!"  
  
The argument between Kagome and Michael was still going on:  
  
"Alright Kay, alright," Michael said. "I'll compromise with you and give you ten days."  
  
"Twenty."  
  
"Fifteen."  
  
"Twenty-five."  
  
"Fourteen, and if you keep pushing me, we'll be back to a week, love. Now, will you settle for fourteen days or not?"  
  
"Fine Michael, two weeks. I'll be back for Chloe's bachelorette party that way. You know she wanted both of us to sing, so that works for me."  
  
Inuyasha wasn't happy. He realized he was left-out of their conversation once again. This time, something important was being decided, how long Kagome would stay, and he wasn't the one making the decision. "Hell, I'm not even being asked what I think!" He was used to being the one in charge, the one telling others how and when things would happen. He didn't like this. It made him feel powerless and inconsequential.  
  
"Inuyasha, do you think two weeks works?" Kagome turned to him and asked. He looked at her stunning, large eyes and realized she meant it, she was really asking him what he thought, deferring to him. It made him feel a little better. He wanted her to stay longer, but since she would only be coming back here for a couple of days and then returning with him again, he decided to be gracioius.  
  
"Fine–two weeks." He grumbled. Considering his mood, it was gracious.  
  
"Then everything's settled!" Kagome said cheerily. She stood up and stretched. The sun was up now, and she turned with her arms outstretched to face it. "I think it's going to be a beautiful spring day!" She was smiling, closing her eyes as she embraced the sun with her arms. She looked so light, so careless.  
  
Inuyasha marveled at her: "How does she do that? How can she be so happy with the life she has? It's like she's able to forget about everything and just live in the moment she's in."  
  
He was not feeling light or care-free, however. Of all the things that he had seen, had heard since he came back to Kagome's time, what he learned this morning was the most upsetting of all.  
  
He had learned something new about Kagome's life: He now understood that she would be going back-and-forth, between two times, battling evil in both. He was worried. It still seemed like too much for her, too large a burden for anyone. He knew she was a strong person. Even as a young teenager, she had that strength. "Maybe it's her happiness. . . . maybe that's what makes her so strong, courageous and resilient. . . ."  
  
"I told you she was bloody brilliant," said Michael in a voice too low for Kagome to hear, but startling Inuyasha from his thoughts. Unknown to Inuyasha, Michael had been observing him, watching him watch Kagome. The angel gave him a smug, knowing smile.  
  
Inuyasha smirked and turned away from him, arms folded across his chest.  
  
Kagome and Michael gathered the picnic things and Michael said, "We'll see you back in the apartment then," and, taking Kagome by the arm, the pair vanished. Inuyasha blinked. He was used to Shippo doing this trick, but watching Kagome disspear before his eyes was strange.  
  
"Let's see just how fast that trick works," he thought, and in less than an instant, he was in the air, on Kagome's balcony, and opening the door and walking back inside. Michael was sitting at the kitchen table and Kagome was putting dishes away.  
  
Michael looked up from reading a newspaper and said, "I see what you mean love. Transportation is slow in his time."  
  
Kagome tried to stiffle a laugh, but it burst out anyway. She was trying to stop, but as she tried to hold it in and control herself, the laughter turned to tears.  
  
Glaring at Michael, and restraining himself from calling Kagome a "stupid wench," he sat down on the couch.  
  
He heard the sound of the lock turning and looked up to see Chloe coming through the door.  
  
"Clo!" Kagome said. She wiped her tears and ran to her roommate, hugging her.  
  
Michael came over and wrapped his arms around both women, saying "Good to see you Clo." Chloe was still wearing her sunglasses, but the bruising had spread from her eye socket down and was evident even under the glasses and the layer of make-up.  
  
The three stood in a close circle.  
  
"How's Brad," Kagome asked frowning.  
  
"They're releasing him this morning. They just kept him overnight as a precaution. He's fine, no pain or anything, but. . . ."  
  
"But what?" Michael asked.  
  
"But he keeps talking about seeing angels. He wants to go to church this afternoon. He wants us to arrange for us to go to couples counseling with the priest. And he's looking for work again too."  
  
Kagome and Michael exchanged a meaningful look.  
  
Chloe caught it and said, "What? Do you both think he's crazy or something?"  
  
"No, Clo, no, not at all," Michael soothed.  
  
"I think we were both thinking that if something good came from his scare yesterday, we're thankful, that's all. I think it's a good sign Clo," Kagome said, smiling at her friend.  
  
"Yeah, me too," Chloe said, giving them both a hug again.  
  
Watching them, Inuyasha suddenly understood something. As much as He, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were a close group, the trio he was watching now was like a family. "No wonder she got so angry with Brad," he thought, looking at the pretty young blonde with the blackened eye and swollen nose. "Chloe is like her family and what hat shit-head did to her. . . ." He realized he was getting angry at Brad too. Now he was beginning to think Kagome showed amazing restraint last night by not killing him.  
  
The trio turned toward the living room where Inuyasha was sitting. "Hey Inuyasha!" Chloe smiled at him, "I'm glad you're here! I want to talk to you."  
  
Inuyasha looked up at the petite woman, surprised. Last night he had practically told her to get lost, but now she looked like she didn't remember that.  
  
"Fine," he said, hoping his tone was pleasant enough.  
  
"Would you mind taking a walk with me outside?"  
  
Kagome was taken aback. She couldn't imagine why Chloe wanted to speak with Inuyasha privately, but she had made it clear she did.  
  
Michael broke the silence that followed by saying "I need to go to the studio and pick up the books. I'll be back in half an hour. Bye loves." He gave Kagome and Chloe each a quick kiss on the cheek, and then turned and left.  
  
"I need to call my mom and tell her I'm leaving town for a while. I'll be in my room," Kagome said after Michael left.  
  
Chloe and Inuyasha were alone in the living room. He sat on the sofa, looking up at her. She stood with her hands on her hips, and looked down at him under her sunglasses. "Let's go," she said in a neutral tone. Inuyasha could tell, however, that underneath it was something more serious. He stood next to her and as she turned to lead the way, he realized he actually felt a little intimidated by her.  
  
When they reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, Chloe stopped and turned to face him.  
  
"Alright Inuyasha," I think it's time we had a little talk.  
  
He raised his eyebrows and said "I don't even know you, so I don't know what we have to talk about."  
  
"Kagome. We're going to talk about Kagome," she began, advancing closer to him.  
  
"I know you're leaving with her today, to take her to the country to visit some friends while she recovers. I also know that's a load of bullshit. Kagome isn't sick. I would know if she was sick, and she's not. It's too coincidental, her "hepatitis" occuring just as you show up."  
  
"Look, I don't know what you think you're getting at, "he interrupted, "but–"  
  
"But nothing. I talked to my cousin last night too. Did you know Kagome's engaged to him?"  
  
"Yes, I know. Michael told me."  
  
Chloe raised her eyes at that. "Well, Paul knows she's lying and so do I. Here's the bottom line Inuyasha. I don't know exactly who or what you were to her in the past, because she won't talk about her past. I've asked her about her life before college, and she dodges the questions. Do you know why?"  
  
Before he could answer, she started again. "I think something happened in her past that was so painful for her, she doesn't want to talk about it, ever. Do you know what else I think?"  
  
Again, before he could say anything, she was speaking again, her voice raising in volume.  
  
"I think you're part of that past, maybe even the cause of that pain."  
  
She stopped for a moment.  
  
Inuyasha wanted to say something, but was shocked by what this woman had said about Kagome, and at her aggressive behavior now.  
  
"I know about pain and about covering it, "she said so matter-of-factly he was stunned into silence again. "I don't know why you showed up here yesterday, or why Kagome wants to leave with you now, but I know one thing. I will not let you hurt her."  
  
Inuyasha was beginning to loose it with her. She had no right talking to him this way. He would never hurt Kagome.  
  
"Listen, bitch–"he said.  
  
That was as far as he got. Enraged by the insult and feeling even more assured that she was doing the right thing, Chloe raged at him.  
  
"No YOU listen, you bastard! I want what's best for her. I thought for a while that was marrying my cousin. I'm not sure now. Since she's met Michael she's seemed happier than I've ever known her to be. Did you know he saved her from some freak with a knife?! Well, he did. He moved in with us shortly after that and do you know he's never even tried once to take advantage of the situation with either of us? Maybe you're too dumb to have noticed, but Michael definitely has it bad for her. He loves her, but won't do anything about it because he know's she's engaged. He's wonderful to us both, but he dotes on her. He's a total angel."  
  
Inuyasha tried to understand her: She wasn't sure Kagome should marry her cousin now. Michael loves Kagome but hasn't told her. Michael's an angel. He shook his head. Did she really know what Michael was? Somehow, he didn't think so, she must have meant that some other way. His mind wandered back to what she said about the man who attacked Kagome. He had a knife? Shit! She could have been really hurt if he didn't show up. . . .  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by Chloe's newest verbal attack:  
  
"Are you listening to me, jerk?" Her voice was suddenly very low again, somehow even more threatening. "I don't know and I don't care who you are. I love Kagome like she was my sister. I want her to be happy with someone who knows how to treat her. That may be Paul. It may be Michael. It's not you. I know what you did to her and I won't stand for it."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do anything to her, you nosey bitch!"  
  
Chloe took off her glasses and looked at Inuyasha with intense, battered eyes. "I saw her arm, fucker. I KNOW." Chloe was shaking, looking at him, daring him to hit her.  
  
His eyes wide, he backed away from her and remembered. Kagome's arm, he had grabbed Kagome's arm yesterday, causing her to bruise and bleed, like Chloe's face.  
  
"She thinks I hurt Kagome on purpose, that I would do to Kagome what her own man did to her."  
  
"Chloe," he began. "Listen to me. You don't need to like me or believe me, but please listen."  
  
Chloe was shaking and crying now, her anger spent, replaced by her own fear and shame.  
  
"You're right, I did hurt Kagome's arm, but it was an accident. You can ask her."  
  
"Ha! Chloe laughed spitefully. "You don't think I know what women say when a man hurts them– 'I feel down the step,' or 'I burned my arm on the stove,' or 'I slipped in the shower." I know what women say. I am one of those women. I was one of those little girls."  
  
"What?" Inuyasha gasped at this information. He looked at her feeling sympathy, but also respect.  
  
"Chloe. You have no reason to believe me, I understand. You're right, I am part of Kagome's past. I think I did hurt her before, but not like you think. When Kagome's with me, I'll protect her with my life."  
  
"Those are cheap words Inuyasha. Easy to say when nothing's at stake."  
  
Gods! How could he make this woman understand?  
  
"Chloe, look at me. Please."  
  
She looked up at him and took off her glasses again. "What is it you expect me to see?"  
  
"Look at my eyes. Look at my hair. My ears. My hands," he said, holding up his clawed hands for her to examine.  
  
Her eyes showed her surprise. "Do you still believe me to be a, what was it, 'drama major?'  
  
Chloe's heart-rate spiked as she moved away from him, backing herself up against the wall.  
  
"What, what are you?"  
  
"I'm not totally human, "he said honestly. "And I'm not from here. I'm from–another place. Now please, "he said, slowly, gently, not wanting to alarm her any more than she already was, "watch."  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the wooden railing of the stairwell and closed his hand around it tightly. When he opened his hand, broken bits of crumbled wood, fell from his hand to the floor.  
  
Chloe gasped. She wanted to run, but was trapped. Inuyasha knew she was about to scream.  
  
He looked at her and said, "Chloe I won't hurt you. I wanted to show you I am a little stronger than most people you know. I forgot my strength yesterday when I saw Kagome again. I never meant to hurt her, but it's been awhile since I've touched her. It won't happen again. I can control how much pressure I use, see?" He grabbed the railing above the place he had broken off. This time when he released his hand, the railing was undamaged.  
  
"I'm not like Brad or any of the other men who hurt you," he said softly, his eyes meeting hers. I'm not going to hurt Kagome. I wouldn't ever do that. She is leaving with me for awhile, but I'll bring her back, safely. I'm telling you the truth, Chloe."  
  
Chloe's mind was racing, she was still afraid of him, afraid for Kagome, but not quite as much as she had been a few minutes earlier. She still didn't trust him, and she needed answers. What was he? Where did he come from and where was he taking Kagome? This was so frightening, so damn impossible. She looked at him and asked him the only reasonable question she could think of, the one with an answer she might understand.  
  
"Do you love her Inuyasha? Do you love Kagome?"  
  
He stared into her swollen, bruised face, her blue eyes. She was terrified of him, but facing her own fear for her friend's sake. He found himself liking her, admiring her. He could lie to himself, but here, with this woman who was terrified of him, trapped with him on the stairs, he couldn't lie. He didn't even have to think about it.  
  
"Yes. I love her."  
  
They stared at each other for a minute in silence.  
  
This was an admission he had never made before, even to himself. He was stunned by it, by the realization of what he had just said. He said it aloud, to another person.  
  
He loved Kagome.  
  
It wasn't just a possibility he could hide from anymore or push back into a corner of his mind. It was so clear, so powerfully true, it hurt. In the very act of speaking it, it had become an undeniable fact.  
  
He looked down at the floor, now littered with wood dust. He felt a sharp pain in his chest.  
  
"Kagome, what am I supposed to do now?"  
  
"Inuyahsa?" Chloe looked at him.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
He nodded, but didn't look up at her.  
  
"I've never said that–never spoke those words before."  
  
"She doesn't know?"  
  
He shook his head, still not looking up.  
  
Somehow, Chloe was no longer afraid of him, she actually felt almost sorry for him.  
  
"You have some pretty tough competition, you know?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't say anything, he was lost in thought.  
  
"Look Inuyasha, I feel a little better about all this now, "Chloe tried to console him.  
  
"For what it's worth, I don't think she'd be leaving to go with you wherever it is your going to if she didn't care you. You might want to let her know how you feel, and I'd say the sooner the better if you want a chance with her. I don't know what's best for her, that's for her to decide. I just know I want her to be happy and treated the way she deserves. Do you want to go back now?"  
  
He nodded again and this time looked up. Somehow, Inuyasha felt grateful to her.  
  
"Chloe, thank you," he said, "Thank you for at least listening to me."  
  
"It's alright. I'm sorry too, about calling you those names. I get a little crazy when I'm mad."  
  
At that moment, on the stairwell below them, a voice called up:  
  
"Chloe, love, is that you?"  
  
"Michael?"  
  
"Yeah. Wait a sec, I'll be right up!"  
  
Inuyasha's ears took in the loud clicking of his boots on the stairs. Faster than Inuyasha thought possible, Michael was standing on the landing with them. He met Inuyasha's eyes for the briefest moment, bent down, and dusted a fine powder of wood from the top of his black boots. He stood up again, grinned at Chloe and took her hand.  
  
"You and Inuyasha enjoying the view of the stairs?  
  
She nodded at him and smiled. "Yes, we've had a nice talk. Getting to know each other a little."  
  
"Oh, that's great Clo, just great. How are you feeling, really?"  
  
"I'm fine. Knowing that Brad's going to be okay, that's all that matters really."  
  
"Clo," he said meaningfully. "You look tired. You must be so tired from your night at hospital. You need sleep Clo. You need sleep now."  
  
With those words, the woman's eyes fluttered, closed, and she swooned. Michael picked her up, bridal-style.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her?!" Inuyasha demanded, alarmed for the woman.  
  
"No worries. She's just tired. A good sleep is what she needs. I'll take her up to her room now, so she can rest. When she wakes up, she'll be fine. She won't remember a thing that happened or was said to her in the few minutes, but she'll be right as rain otherwise."  
  
With that, he gave Inuyasha another smug, little smile and turned to carry the woman up the stairs.  
  
Inuyasha was surprised again by the man, his abilities, his sense of timing.  
  
"How long were you down there and how much did you hear, angel?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"I heard enough to know that Chloe needs a nap. I'll talk to you before you leave, Inuyasha."  
  
With that, Michael carried Chloe up the stairs and out of the door of the stairwell.  
  
Inuyasha was left standing in the dust at the bottom of the landing.  
  
"What just happened here? Michael helped me!?" 


	13. Parting Gifts

____________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 13 Parting Gifts  
  
He knew he had taken a risk exposing himself to Chloe, but he couldn't think of any other way to get her to out of the stale-mate with her. She believed he was going to hurt Kagome, and knew that Kagome had lied to her about her reason for leaving. The woman had been maddening, but when he realized what she was doing and why, he was impressed.  
  
"I can see why Kagome likes her. She's been hurt, but she's strong, too."  
  
He didn't know he was going to end up telling her something he had never fully thought through himself. He had admitted that he loved Kagome. It was true. And somehow, that truth made Chloe trust him, even offer him some advice.  
  
With his secret feelings spoken aloud he made himself vulnerable, exposed. It was a dangerous position to be in, to trust someone who didn't trust him. Then Michael showed up. With impossible ease, this man quickly undid what was done. By making Chloe forget, it was as if he turned back time, gave Inuyasha his secret back. He was relieved, but also a bit saddened. More than he knew, confiding in someone, anyone, was a relief. Now he was back where he started before his talk with Chloe, back to having his secret. The only difference was before the talk, he didn't even realize he had a secret. Even if no one else knew, he did now.  
  
"Oh shit!" he thought, suddenly realizing, someone else knew his secret. "Michael heard every word. What the hell is he up to now?"  
  
Inuyasha leapt up the stairs, feeling a sudden urgency about leaving Kagome alone with Michael for too long.  
  
Kagome sat on the sofa, her guitar in her hands. She wasn't playing, just absent-mindedly strumming chords. She was thinking about the phone call she just had with her mother, and was feeling very depressed. In the past months, Kagome had grown apart from her mother, calling her less, confiding in her never. It hurt her terribly, to be so distanced from her mom.  
  
The night she met Michael, everything in her life changed. Things happened she knew she could never tell her mother about, and there was no one, no one except Michael, who understood why. Of all the lies she had told over the years, had accepted as a necessary part of her weird life, lying to her mother was the hardest. She hated it, but it was now another fact of her life that there were things she kept from her mom.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi knew her daughter like she knew herself. She was observant, and very little ever got past her keen sense of intuition. She knew her daughter was holding back, not letting her in, and she didn't understand why. She felt hurt, and didn't understand why her daughter, her strange, wonderful, beautiful daughter, was leaving her little by little.  
  
The tension during the infrequent calls had been bad. Visits home were worse. Mrs Higurashi could not accept the empty formality of exchanging mere pleasantries with her daughter. She wanted to know what kept Kagome from her, wanted to hug it, cry it out of her. Her mother's pleading eyes were too painful for Kagome, and she distanced herself even more.  
  
The phone call today had been the worst yet. Her mother already knew Inuyasha was back, Sota had told her. When Kagome was getting ready to call her mother, she thought, "finally, there's something I can tell her about that she'll understand. She won't like me putting medical school on hold, but she's always understood how I felt about Inuyasha. Without ever questioning it too much, she always accepted that going to the past with him was something I had to do. She's always trusted me." These thoughts made Kagome feel better. As fantastic as it seemed, this could be her bridge back to her mother.  
  
But Kagome never expected her mother's reaction.  
  
"Kagome, this is the worst choice you could ever make! God knows I try to support you, understand you, even when I'm supposed to do it on blind faith alone. You're a grown woman now, Kagome. How you can just drop your life, your career to run back to him again, after everything you went through when you came home last time. . . .I don't think I'll ever understand this."  
  
Kagome listened to her mom's objections, felt the pain in her mother's words. Underneath it all, she knew her mother was very, very frightened for her. Kagome and her mother didn't talk much any more, but she still understood her mother. Kagome would never forget that after the well closed, it was her mother who kept her going, made sure she got up in the morning, went to school, ate. It was her mother that held her night after night in her bed, as she cried herself to sleep, her mother who soothed her guilt and sadness over the long months, her mother who made her feel that there was a chance, just maybe, her life still had a purpose. A chance that love was still possible, out there, waiting for her.  
  
". . . .And what about Paul? What did you tell him? What should I say if he calls, Kagome, that your chasing a dream?"  
  
"God!" Kagome thought, silently crying, "No one can cut you like your mother." The last truly happy time she had with her mother was last Christmas. . . .Paul and Kagome at the family dinner, announcing their engagement to her mother and Sota. Her mother was so happy then. She took to Paul quickly, wanted to set the wedding date right away. Kagome had wondered about this–was it that her mother approved of Paul so very much, or if it was something else--Paul was someone, anyone other than Inuyasha.  
  
"Tell Paul whatever you think you should, mother. I've got to go now. Take care of yourself and please give my love to Sota."  
  
Alone in her apartment, she suddenly felt so sad, so small. "She didn't even remember what today was, didn't wish me happy birthday, my own mother. . . . " She held her twelve-string guitar and began playing a Celtic lullabye she loved, comforting herself with the sound of her own music. She sang the words:  
  
Sleep ye now my little dove, Rest your head, truest love. My arms are here to hold thee tight, My prayers go with thee, through the night. . . . As she was singing and playing, Michael came in carrying Chloe.  
  
Kagome dropped her guitar and looked up at him alarmed.  
  
"It's alright love," he said. "She's just dead-on-her-feet tired from staying up all night with Brad. She and Inuyasha had a nice chat and when I came upon them, she fainted. I checked her out. All she needs is a little rest and food."  
  
Kagome let out her breath and thanked Michael for bringing her back home safely.  
  
"Go on Kay, keep playing. It's lovely."  
  
Kagome gave him a weak smile as he opened Chloe's door to put her to bed. She picked up the guitar and began playing and singing again.  
  
Outside the door, Inuyasha stopped and listened. The music was lovely, her voice haunting. This music was very different from Kagome's singing at the club last night. This music was calm, peaceful. But even through the closed door he picked up a fresh scent. Kagome's tears. "She's sad. Why?"  
  
Inuyasha turned the handle, and, finding it unlocked, came in. Kagome stopped playing again when he came in, looking startled and embarrassed. Her eyes were still wet with tears and she was trying to hide them.  
  
"Oh, Hi Inuyasha. Michael told me about what happened with Chloe."  
  
Inuyasha's heart started to pound "WHAT? What did he tell you?! "I hope she's not crying because of something he said. . . ."  
  
"Sssh! You'll wake her up! It's okay Inuyasha, I was upset at first, but I understand how it happened."  
  
"How WHAT happened?" "Gods! What does she know?!"  
  
"Sssh! How she fainted, of course. Inuyasha, what's wrong with you? You're acting jumpy."  
  
"Nothing, wen–, Kagome. NOTHING is wrong. I'm ready to leave now, it's morning."  
  
Kagome gave a deep sigh. "Alright Inuyasha. Let me go in and say goodbye to Chloe and Michael first."  
  
"Fine, woman, just be quick about it!" He turned away from her, and walked into the kitchen.  
  
Kagome got up and went into Chloe's bedroom. Michael was sitting on a chair by her bed, applying compresses to her swollen eyes. "Hi," Kagome whispered. "She okay?"  
  
Michael nodded. "She just needs rest."  
  
"Kay?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"I'll look-out for her while your away. Brad won't hurt her again. I'll see to it."  
  
She smiled warmly and kneeled beside him, resting her head against his leg for a moment.  
  
"Michael," she whispered. "You really are an angel."  
  
"Come on, let's let her get some sleep then," he said, coaxing Kagome up.  
  
Chloe muttered something in her sleep that sounded like "Do you luffer?" and rolled over.  
  
Kagome smiled, bent down, and gave her a kiss on the head. "Bye Clo. I'll miss you."  
  
She turned with Michael and they left her room.  
  
"Michael," she Kagome said. "I need to ask you to do something else for me."  
  
"Anything."  
  
She walked inside her room for a moment and picked up a small box from her dresser-top.  
  
"We're going to have to leave now, so I need to ask you to keep this safe for me."  
  
He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and opened the box. Inside, the tiny jewel shard gave off a soft, pink light.  
  
"Kay, why do you want to leave this here?"  
  
"I need you to guard this for me. It's a safety measure. This way, in case something goes wrong and the jewel falls into wrong hands, no one can finish it and use it's power. If we succeed–"  
  
"Not if, Kay, when."  
  
"When we succeed, I'll ask you for this back. I know it's a lot to ask, but–"  
  
"Of course, Kay, I'll put it somewhere safe. Don't worry."  
  
"Thank you," she said, moving to him and giving him a hug. "I'll see you in two weeks, okay?" "Oh no you don't lady. Not so fast." Michael looked intent, serious.  
  
"Is he angry again? Is he not letting me go after all?" Kagome's heart began to race.  
  
Inuyasha, who was listening, came out from the kitchen. He didn't like the way Michael was sounding either.  
  
"What's your problem now? You know it's time for us to leave, so quit stalling her." Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"Inuyasha, this is between Kay and I, so if you wouldn't mind giving us a moment, please."  
  
"Uh-uh. No way. Whatever you have to tell her, you can say in front of me."  
  
"This way, at least if he blabs to her what he overheard me saying, I can deny it right away," he thought, feeling a little desperate.  
  
"Have it your way then," Michael said curtly, and then, turning back toward Kagome, said:  
  
"Kay, my love, this is for you."  
  
He reached behind his back and held out a small, blue velvet box.  
  
Kagome looked at him, puzzled.  
  
"Michael, what is this?"  
  
"It's your birhtday present. You didn't really think I'd let you leave without giving you your gift first?"  
  
"Michael--" she said in her warmest voice, "That's so sweet! But you already gave me my birthday gifts last night. Being seranaded by you AND Tom Petty both? Nothing could top that! You don't need to give me anything else."  
  
"Oh but I do love, and I did. Now, will you just take it and open it, already?"  
  
Kagome gave a little laugh, took the box from his hand, opened it, and gasped.  
  
"Michael! It's beautiful. . . .It looks like yours!"  
  
Inside the box was a silver pendant. It was an angel, soft and fluid in a design of flowing silver. A small, single clear stone was mounted in the center. It hung on a fine silver chain. Michael wore one almost identical, only larger.  
  
"Ay, love, it's made from the same piece of silver and by the same craftsman that made mine." "Really? You know the maker?"  
  
"Oh fairly well, since I am that man."  
  
She looked at him in complete amazement. "Michael–you made this for me?"  
  
"I hope you like it Kay."  
  
"Michael, I adore it. Thank you," she said, hugging him again, this time longer and much tighter.  
  
Inuyasha watched, annoyed. "Hmph! Does this guy ever give up?!" He didn't like it that Michael had made her a necklace that matched his own. Something about this alarmed him, but he didn't know exactly what it was.  
  
"Will you put it on me?" Kagome asked.  
  
"With great pleasure," he said.  
  
She turned, and lifted her silky mane of hair from her delicate neck. Inuyasha stood with his arms folded, and took in her profile. He had to close his eyes to steady his breathing. With her hair up in her hands, her head bent slightly to the side, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  
  
Michael approached her slowly, lifted the pendant over her head, brought the chain down on her neck and fixed the clasp. As he finished, and before she let her hair down, he gave her the lightest kiss on the back of her neck, causing her to shiver.  
  
Inuyasha's body tensed and he curled his lips back in a menacing snarl as Michael stepped back, smiling.  
  
"That is ENOUGH touching her!" He growled.  
  
Kagome gave an angry look in Inuyasha's direction, and opened her mouth to say something, but gasped instead.  
  
The necklace had tightened around her neck, she felt like it was burning into her skin. The small clear stone, turned a glowing white, then blue, mirroring the changes in Michael's pendant as well.  
  
Inuyasha looked at her in alarm "Kagome!" he cried out.  
  
The pain was quickly ceasing as the chain slackened again, and Kagome could breathe. She looked dazed, and was holding her throat. She took several small, rapid, breaths, and looked at Michael in dismay and anger.  
  
"A binding spell?" she horsely whispered.  
  
"Yes, love, a binding. The necklace is charmed, and now you're bound to me."  
  
For an instant, the three stood, frozen.  
  
Inuyasha looked from Kagome to Michael, saw the look of betrayal and pain on Kagome's face, Michael's bland expression.  
  
"You God-damned son-of-a-bitch! What the HELL did you do to her?!"  
  
"Inuyasha, please. I've had enough of your impertinent tantrums."  
  
"And I've had more than enough of you, you God-damned smug, superior–"  
  
"STOP!" Michael commanded in a startlingly booming voice. "You will both listen now. The necklace binds Kagome to my spirit. It is charmed for protection against demons. If Kagome feels threatened, angered, or frightened in the least by any demon, this charm creates a barrier around her no demon can penetrate. If she is attacked, it forcibly repels the attacker from her. Since I cannot go with her now, a part of my spirit will be with her, always, to protect her. I told you, Inuyasha, that if you upset Kagome you wouldn't get near her. I am a man of my word."  
  
Inuyasha stood stunned, his hand still gripping Tetsiga's hilt.  
  
"Michael, I don't want this protection, I didn't ask for it. I want you to take it off me."  
  
"I'm sorry love, I won't do that. I agreed to let you go. I never agreed to stop protecting you."  
  
Kagome glared at him, her eyes stormy. She rushed at him, and pushing her hands into his chest, cried "I hate you for this Michael! I hate you!"  
  
He encircled his arms around her, so she was held still. He bent down and whispered into her ear "No you don't, love. You don't hate me at all."  
  
He quickly released her, and with angry tears in her eyes, she pushed herself back away from him, and ran into her room, and slammed the door.  
  
Inuyasha now had his turn to glare at Michael.  
  
"I don't care why you did it. You tricked her and you're a bastard for doing it."  
  
Michael narrowed his eyes and turned to him. "What you think doesn't matter, demon. I told you, I am her protector. I will do whatever it takes, and I do mean anything to keep her safe.  
  
You have a right to know this, too: I know the way you feel about her, I heard you, but I knew even before you said it. Now it's only fair if I tell you how I feel. I love her as well. But, unlike you, I have no need to keep it a secret and I don't intend to."  
  
Smiling graciously he added "Really, Inuyasha, there's no need for us to act like enemies. We both love the same woman, and, as it turns out, we both can have her."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha felt himself flush, angrily. His hand never left his sword.  
  
"Your Kagome, Kikyo, isn't it?, exists in your time. My Kagome, my Kay, belongs in this time, with me. Isn't the universe grand and amazing? We can both have what we want."  
  
"Kikyo isn't Kagome. They're two different people," Inuyasha said, flatly.  
  
"Are they? I thought you believed Kikyo and Kagome shared a common soul."  
  
"They do."  
  
"So how are they different then?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't want to talk to him about this. He didn't want to talk to him about anything.  
  
"Kikyo is none of your business!" he snapped.  
  
"Ah, your right, Inuyasha, She's your business. You've promised yourself to the lady, haven't you?. I think that's fine, grand. Keep your promise, Inuyasha. You see to your lady and I'll see to mine.  
  
But there's one last thing you should understand: We're caught up, all of us, in a great, cosmic game. I don't get to set the rules of play, I have to abide by them, just like you. But any advantage I can find, any way I can find to turn things in my favor, I'll take. The only difference between us is I truly understand the stakes. You don't."  
  
Inuyasha was overwhelmed. He HATED this man, hated how Michael seemed to always be one step ahead of him, and hated how powerless he felt against him.  
  
What he had done to Kagome was a miserable act of betrayal. Oh, he knew what it felt like to be under a binding spell, had even hated Kagome for it at first. To be bound this way to another being robbed you of your own power, it was an indignity. A month ago, the thought of a rosary around Kagome's neck would have been one of the most wonderful, funny thoughts he could imagine. But now. . . .now everything had changed. He loved her and he knew it, and now she was bound against her will to another man, not even a man, a ghost.  
  
"I'll find a way to help you Kagome, whatever it takes, I won't let you stay bound to him."  
  
As he stood angrily pacing and watching Michael, who now sat calmly in an armchair, he was leaning back, his eyes closed as if asleep. Kagome opened the door to her room and quietly emerged. She had changed into a beighe t- shirt with a sleeveless safari jacket, khaki walking shorts, and hiking boots. Her hair was pulled back into a loose pony-tale.  
  
Not looking at Michael, she said, "Inuyasha, I'm ready." Her cheeks were tear-stained but now her eyes were dry.  
  
She picked up the huge duffle bag she was dragging behind her and hoisted it over her right shoulder, stooping slightly under it's weight. She walked over to the sofa where her guitar was packed in it's case and picked it up with her other shoulder.  
  
She stopped for a moment, looking down at her hands.  
  
Michael had opened his eyes and was watching her intently. He stood, and quietly walked over to her:  
  
"Are you leaving me without a goodbye, Kay?"  
  
"I'm angry with you still, but I do want to say goodbye," she held out her left hand for him to shake, western-style. He took her hand gently in his and looked up at her, clearly shocked.  
  
"You're wearing your ring?"  
  
"Yes, Michael. I'm wearing Paul's ring. "You're not the only person in this time I'm bound to. I wanted to remember that."  
  
He looked at her stunned, for once, not smiling. "I see," he said, still holding her hand. "I need to go over some things with you before you go."  
  
"I think you've said and done enough. Come on Kagome, let's go," Inuyasha said. He didn't want to see or hear any more of this man, preferably ever.  
  
"This is about Kay's training, and whether you like it or not, she's not leaving until I tell her what I need to."  
  
"Fine, Michael" she said, still keeping her eyes cast away from him. "What is it?"  
  
"Just a few important reminders. You need to stick to your diet and training regime. I know it'll be difficult while your traveling and in the kinds of places you'll be, but it's very important."  
  
She nodded, saying, "Yes, I know. I have my food supplies and training gear. I won't forget.  
  
"Good. Now don't forget to focus your energy, Kay. Focusing is the key, it's crucial. Focus over anger, over all emotion. If you focus in the emotion, it will be more difficult and you'll tire much more quickly. You need proper rest too. Don't allow yourself to get drained. Your spiritual energy is connected to your physical. You have the ability, you just have to give it a clear channel, focus and control. Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded again.  
  
"And finally, one last thing I need to tell you:  
  
I know I've made you very angry with me today, and I'm truly sorry for that. I never want to anger or upset you Kay, but I did what I did because I love you. I love you Kay, not just as your protector, not just as your friend, but as a man loves a woman."  
  
Kagome stood for a moment in shocked silence. The only sound was her duffle bag, dropping to the floor. She starred at him, her eyes huge. "Michael?–"  
  
Inuyasha interrupted before she could finish her question.  
  
"Aw, what kind of SHIT are you dishing out now Michael?? Can't you see what he's doing Kagome? Kagome?!" He was trying to get her attention, but at the moment, it wasn't working.  
  
Michael continued, apparently oblivious to the raging hanyou in the room.  
  
"Please Kay, I've started this, so now I'm going to finish: I'm an old soul, very old. I've existed for more millennia than I care to count, have known more souls than I can number. But never, woman, in all my days, have I known anyone like you. You amaze me and leave me breathless. Your strength, your courage, your wonderous beauty. I would do anything for you, anything to protect you, and anything to make you happy. I will gladly give my immortality to be with you if you want it, and will give my very life to protect you. Kay, if you will do me the greatest honor of granting me any portion of time to be with you and love you, whether it be a single day or an eternity of days, I will be truly blessed."  
  
Kagome stood with Michael, her hand still in his, their eyes locked. Her expression had changed from anger, to shock, to something else. She was looking at him in a new way, trying to understand what he was telling her, taking it in, feeling the emotions behind his She was amazed by his candor, his love for her. Her eyes softened, sparkling with happiness.  
  
Inuyasha felt as if an arrow had pierced his chest once more. It felt like he was slipping away into a nightmare, and he almost wished it to be true. Michael had said everything to her, took away his unspoken hopes and dashed his unformed dreams with a few words. There was nothing Inuyahsa could do, now that she had heard this, but watch her slip away.  
  
"Michael," she said, "What you just said you want, you really meant it?"  
  
"Yes, my love. I mean every word I ever say to you. But now you need to rest."  
  
"Michael," she said, looking confused, "I'm not tired, I'm–"  
  
"You need to sleep, now," he said. Kagome collapsed in his arms.  
  
Inuyasha snapped out of his desolate self-pitying when he saw Kagome fall.  
  
"What the hell did you do that to her for?! Do you get some kind of sick kick, knocking-out women?!" He was angry at Michael for so many reasons, including the reason that he didn't understand, couldn't predict, from moment to moment what the guy was up to.  
  
"I couldn't let her leave with you like that, Inuyasha. She'd be distracted, her mind would keep wandering back her to me, instead of being focused on doing the job she's needed to do in your time.  
  
Inuyasha snorted loudly at this, but Michael continued: "I had to make her forget for now. The next time I decide to tell her how I feel, and I promise you I will do this again, I won't let her ever forget it." He carried her to the couch and laid her down gently. "When she wakes, she'll remember that she's bound to me and that she's still mad as hell at me, but that's all."  
  
Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest. He realized something that he had missed earlier, something that made him understand Michael's actions:  
  
"Hell!" he said, smirking at him. "You are playing the fool! You did all this for me, didn't you?"  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"Your little disgusting declaration of love just now. This game of yours. You want me to feel like I have no chance of ever beating you. But the truth is you're threatened by me. You didn't just play with her feelings now for her sake. You did that for me. You're afraid I'm going to win."  
  
"Kagome's not a prize, you stupid dog! She's a woman and she makes her own choices. When the time is right, I'm going to help her make the most well- informed choice possible. You don't belong in this picture anymore, you never did, boy, and we both know it."  
  
"If you were so sure of that, you wouldn't need to go to the trouble of telling her you love her and wiping it from her mind. You did that to Chloe too. I actually thought you were doing it to help me, but that never made sense. You did it to Chloe because you were afraid that she might tell Kagome how I feel. You were just protecting your own god-damn interests.  
  
Michael glared at him threateningly. "You have no idea what you're talking about, boy."  
  
"I know that you want to make sure Kagome never finds out how I feel about her," he said smugly, knowing he had hit upon a truth. He had been too intimidated by Michael's power to see it before, too concerned himself with keeping his feelings for Kagome a secret, but now he knew he was right.  
  
"You can leave with her when she wakes in a few hours," Michael said brusquely. "I'm going to go check on Chloe." He turned and walked into Chloe's darkened room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Like hell we're waiting!" Inuyasha thought to himself. He quickly picked up Kagome's bag and guitar, and scooped her up in his arms. Silently, he made his way through the kitchen, and out through the open balcony door.  
  
"No more games, asshole, she's coming with me." He jumped off the balcony. Even under the weight of his burden, he moved with graceful speed, bounding over the rooftops. He made his way back to the well-house, and landed gently, still holding the young woman in his arms close. She never stirred. He smiled down at her sleeping form as he walked now into the shrine. He was feeling the effects of an enourmous rush of adreneline and a a surge of his demon blood. Inuyasha had not felt this powerful in a long time. He had Kagome with him again and he felt back in charge.  
  
He also felt a renewed desire to make sure others knew who she was with, who she belonged with. He had always felt this way about her, had always gotten extremely angry and jealous when any other males, human or demon, paid attention to her. Now that territorial instict wasn't just renewed, it was reborn, stronger than ever. He loved her, it was clear enough to him now that he said it, and with the realization of those feelings came the surge of demon insticts–"She's mine. I will make her mine."  
  
It was still confusing, when he thought about Kikyo. He didn't know yet what he would do when the time came. Whatever happened, he knew was not willing to let go of Kagome or allow anyone to take her from him. Knowing his own mind and what he wanted was a relief. Now that he knew, he felt more confident, ready to act. He thought about Chloe's advice before her memories were erased. "I will find a way to show her how I feel," he thought.  
  
He looked down at her and lightly brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. Without really touching her, he brought his mouth down right above hers. His lips hovered, close, brushed the air. He blew a breath into her parted lips. She murmured and smiled in her sleep. Encouraged, he brought his mouth down to her again, and this time kissed her lightly. It was enough to taste how sweet she was, how soft her lips were. Taking this kiss, he knew he would want to taste others. The thought of kissing her would become more and more urgent. . . . He pushed back these thoughts and his growing excitement and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Kagome." Her eyelashes lightly fluttered, and a she made a small, contented sound in her throat. She turned, and snuggled her face deeply into his chest.  
  
"Damn girl. You are a lot trouble," he said to the sleeping woman, "But she's worth it," his thoughts teased back.  
  
He walked over to the well and jumped in, feeling relieved and happier than he would have thought possible. 


	14. A Bad Dream

Author's Note: I won't take up a lot of space here thanking each person separately, but to all my great reviewers—THANKS! A special thanks to the reviewer who suggested showing where the characters are thinking with a single quote mark (') rather than double ("). I was rather peeved that all my thought sequences in italics didn't transfer over from MS Word during the uploads and was worried about it being confusing. It's an excellent suggestion, and I'll make this change from here on.  
  
PS: For the Michael haters (I love it that he works well enough to hate!) two things to keep in mind if you decide to keep reading: 1. This sucker's long. I have only posted about ½ the written chapters so far, and I've only written half of what I've planned to date. In other words, "He'll Be Back!"—dun dun dun! 2. Nothing worth having ever comes easy!  
  
Chapter 14 A Bad Dream  
  
There was still morning left when Inuyasha returned to the feudal area. Getting out of the well with Kagome was tricky. He couldn't jump out with her packs across his back in the narrow well. Although he could make the jump if he wanted to, he could not jump "straight" up, and the duffle bag and guitar left no maneuvering room. He dropped the bags and brought Kagome to the top first, gently laying her down in the grass. Then he easily dropped back in and jumped out carrying the bags. The sun was warming the late-morning air. Birds spoke to each other, noisily from nearby trees, and the first small flowers were budding in the meadow.  
  
'Kagome's right, it is a beautiful day,' he thought, 'Especially here, in my time.'  
  
He looked at Kagome and frowned slightly, a little disappointed that she was still sleeping so soundly, even with the sunlight streaming down on her face and over her closed eyes. She was oblivious, sleeping through her return. A flash of red light on her hand caught his eye, he peered down at her, looking for the source of the strange light. It was her engagement ring, the pear-shaped ruby glittered in the sun, sending out tiny little prisms of fire. He snorted 'Kagome's not really going to marry that man, is she?' Talking about him, she was sedate, lukewarm, not showing any happiness. 'Not laughing and smiling the way Michael makes her smile. . . .' He frowned. Michael was the one who told him about her promise to marry Paul. He even goaded her about the ring, saying that she wasn't serious about her commitment if she wasn't wearing this ring. Now she was wearing it. It glittered in his eyes. Yesterday she had told him she had fallen in love with him. He would never forget hearing those words from her, how she made his heart stop. 'But that was two years ago, wasn't it? What about now? What does she feel for me now?'  
  
He sighed, placed her bags on his back, and picked her up from her grassy bed. It was a short walk to Kaede's, and he walked quickly, excited to be back and for everyone to see Kagome.  
  
When he arrived at her hut, he was surprised not to see a sign of anyone. "Where the hell is everyone?" he asked to no none. "Ah well, at least it'll be quiet for awhile and Kagome can rest." He brought her into Kaede's hut and laid her down on a bedding of quilts in the corner. He covered her peaceful form with a light blanket. He looked down at her and said "You're not his Kay, You're my Kagome. Now I have you back." He turned and walked out to look for the others. 'I wonder. . . will you be able to say this to her when she's awake?' He asked himself. He swallowed and answered himself: 'Yes.'  
  
About an hour later Sango and Miroku returned. They had heard the rumor of a plant demon that was killing villagers nearby, and had gone to investigate. They were surprised to see Inuyasha back so soon, and after greeting him, began asking questions.  
  
"Does your quick return mean you failed to convince Kagome to come back?" Miroku asked, looking worried.  
  
"Of course not! She's here, in Kaede's hut, sleeping. Why would you think she wouldn't come back, Monk?"  
  
"I meant no offense, Inuyasha. But we were all worried. She left so, umm, abruptly without the shards and then the well. . . ."  
  
"The dumb girl was happy to see me. She had got herself stuck and didn't think she could get back here, so once again I had to rescue her after yet another one of her stupid mistakes," Inuyasha answered quickly. A little voice in his head was going off, and he was hearing a lecture:  
  
'Wait! Why are you doing this? You're speaking so coldly of her, as if your feelings weren't known to you still. Why are you acting like nothing has changed? Are you afraid of what Sango and Miroku will think, or are you afraid of what you think?'  
  
He felt guilty for what he just said, and couldn't explain to himself why he did.  
  
"Did she ever tell you why she left?" Sango asked, frowning.  
  
"No." He definitely knew he wasn't going into THAT story with them.  
  
"Well, I'll go check on her," she added.  
  
"NO! I told you she's sleeping. She needs her rest, so leave her alone, wench!" Inuyasha barked.  
  
Sango shot him an angry look. "Why?" she demanded. "Why should she need sleep now. It's getting late."  
  
"Never mind why, you can talk to her when she wakes up."  
  
At that moment, Shippo and Kaede came through the clearing. Kaede was carrying her herb basket and Shippo was hopping along beside her.  
  
When he saw Inuyasha back, the little Kitsune raced back to the hut screaming "Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Your back! Did you bring Kagome?" he asked excitedly.  
  
"Mm," he nodded affirmative, but before he could speak, Shippo dashed past him and through the hut, calling "Kagome! Kagome!"  
  
Quickly Inuyasha was behind him, pulling him up by the scruff of his neck. "Hey, stupid fox! She's sleeping, let her be." He dropped the boy roughly, and said, "Let's go out here and give her some–"  
  
Shippo maneuvered between his legs and was under the blankets with Kagome before he could stop him.  
  
"Damn it, Shippo!" he yelled.  
  
"AARGH!" Shippo screamed. "What's happened to Kagome? She's changed! She's–"  
  
"SSH! Do you want to wake her up, idiot?"  
  
"Yes! He yelled. Kagome! Wake up! Wake up, wake up!" He jumped up and down on top of her, but she didn't stir.  
  
"AARGH!" He yelled again. "She won't wake! Inuyasha, why won't Kagome wake up?!"  
  
Before he could answer a worried looking Kaede came through the hut, followed by Sango and Miroku, looking equally concerned.  
  
"Inuyasha, Is something wrong with Kagome?" Kaede asked plainly.  
  
"No," he sighed, defeated. "Nothing's wrong with her, all right? She was put under some kind of sleeping spell and should come out of it on her own in a few hours. She'll be fine."  
  
"A spell?" Miroku asked. "Who put a spell on Kagome to make her sleep and why?"  
  
"Yes, who would do such a thing?" Kaede added.  
  
"Oh, let's go outside and I'll explain it to you," he said, grumbling. He really wasn't happy about this, but could see he had no other choice. He was going to have to tell them at least some of what happened, but he would try to be brief and say as little as possible.  
  
At that moment, Kagome rolled over in her sleep. "Michael," she murmured, then lay still again.  
  
Four sets of puzzled eyes looked at Inuyasha.  
  
"What's Michael?" Shippo asked.  
  
'Shit!' he thought. "Michael's not what, he's who," he said. "He's who put her under the spell, and he's a real pain in the ass."  
  
Kaede looked at him and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha! Where is your rosary?"  
  
*********  
  
After almost two hours of talking and answering their questions, there wasn't much of the story that he hadn't told. He tried to stick to just the important points:  
  
Two years had passed in Kagome's time, she was training at school to become a doctor, she no longer lived at home, she worked as a singer in a band (although no one understood what this meant), she had two roommates, Chloe, and Michael, the arrogant angel who now claimed to be her protector, and put the binding spell on her, and that she was promised to mate to a human male named Paul. He also ended up explaining that she had developed her miko power and was now much stronger (although he did not explain how he saw her use those powers last night), and that now she also trained with Michael and did something called "spirit fighting" involving battling evil spirits.  
  
The group was stunned by Inuyasha's tale, and after almost every new detail was revealed, he had to answer a profusion of new questions. Much of the story troubled Kagome's friends, especially the part about her now fighting evil spirits in her time, and Inuyasha admitted he didn't like this either. No one could fathom how the time difference between the eras occurred. How could the well distort time to make two years pass on Kagome's side and only one month on Inuyasha's? Even Miroku had no theories to advance, but they all pondered it.  
  
The only details of importance he had left out is what Kagome revealed to him the day before, that she had fallen in love with him two years ago and left because she was hurt when she heard him make his promise to Kikyo, and that he now realized that he loved her, too. That was private information, Inuyasha thought, not meant to be shared.  
  
'But. . . .' the little, nagging voice in his head asked, 'If you really plan to make her yours, won't they all find out anyway? What is it you're so afraid of ? Is it that they'll tease you, or is it something else?. . .'  
  
Shaking her head at the amazing tale, Kaede left the group to go back inside and check on Kagome.  
  
Finally, Shippo asked an obvious question that had not yet been answered: "Why did her protector put her under a sleeping spell?"  
  
"Because he told her some things he wanted her to forget, so the spell makes her not remember when she wakes up," he answered curtly.  
  
"What did he tell her that he wanted her to forget," Shippo persisted. Sango looked particularly interested in having this answered, too.  
  
"It's private, okay? Just private stuff you don't need to need to know."  
  
"Private about whom," Miroku now asked, "You or Michael?"  
  
"None of your business, monk!" Inuyasha barked and slapped him on the head.  
  
"Ooh," he said, grinning, "THAT kind of private!"  
  
"Will she ever remember what he said?" Sango asked.  
  
"Hhmph! How should I know?" Inuyasha said as an answer. "I sure as hell hope not," he whispered under his breath.  
  
Sango heard him and raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.  
  
"Sango, dear–"Miroku began.  
  
"Hmm?" She looked up at him skeptically for calling her "dear."  
  
He leaned over and whispered something in her ear, causing her to cheeks to flare bright red, and earn him a quick, hard punch on the chin. He was knocked out cold.  
  
"What did he say this time?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"He asked to be knocked out, well, he kind-of asked for it," she replied.  
  
"Huh?" Inuyasha said, confused.  
  
"He asked me to do something and said that if I agreed to it, it was okay afterwards to make him forget, he would know happiness for at least that moment when I said yes."  
  
"And you said yes?" Shippo asked?  
  
"I let my fist do the talking."  
  
*******  
  
Four hours had passed since he had returned with her, and still Kagome did not awaken.  
  
Inuyasha was beginning to worry: 'That asshole said she should wake up in a few hours. It's been a few hours. How much longer is it going to take for the spell to wear-off?'  
  
By Twilight, Kagome was still sleeping soundly, and Inuyasha worry was steadily growing. 'She needs to wake up, NOW.' he thought. He was thinking about getting a jug of water and pouring it over her when she began to show signs of movement.  
  
She started tossing and turning rapidly, her arms flailing in her sleep. Kagome was having a nightmare.:  
  
She was in a dark place, a place so dark that blackness completely absorbed all light. It was cold, her hands ached with cold and she shivered. She strained her eyes in the dark, scanning for any sign of light, any opening to a way out. Slowly she moved, her arms and hands out in front of her. She was afraid of falling, afraid of moving at all, but she knew she had to press on. Her fingers touched something hard, icy. Tentatively, she reached forward and pressed her hand against it. It was solid, like stone. Not a way out. She turned to the side and began again, again hitting a cold wall of stone. She turned again and again, and realized she was trapped, surrounded by stone walls. There was no way out. 'Oooh,' she thought. 'I have to stay calm. What was it Michael told me? What do I need to do?. . . .' She moved back to the wall in front of her, reached out to touch it again, feeling for a break when it hit her–  
  
A surge, a white-hot pain shot through her chest, into her head, her eyes.  
  
She screamed in pain and fell to the ground, clutching her head and breathing ragged. OH GOD! It hurt! She hurt so bad. She stood up, tried to steady herself and fell against the stone wall again.  
  
As soon as her hand touched the wall, it shot through her, the pain so intense she couldn't scream, couldn't breathe.  
  
'SO much pain!" she was crying. "These walls, this rock, it's ALIVE! It's ALIVE and it's in pain! I feel the rocks' pain!. . . I can't fight this. . . .I can't . . . .'  
  
Her mind went numb, a fade to nothing, not even the dark.  
  
Kagome screamed and sat up, wide-eyed as Inuyasha watched her. She called out "MICHAEL! MICHAEL!"  
  
"Kagome, calm down!" Inuyasha said, rushing toward her. He bent to try to comfort her and she stared at him with terrified eyes. "Kagome! Snap out of it! It's me, INUYASHA!"  
  
He reached out to touch her and felt his chest forcibly pushed back so hard the air was expelled from his body. He took in a deep breath and recovering, tried to move forward again. This time he was kicked in the chest with a thrust so strong and sudden, it knocked him through the wall and onto the ground several feet in front of Kaede's hut.  
  
Sango, who had been preparing supper, turned when he hit the ground and came rushing over, Miroku and Kaede quickly behind her.  
  
"Inuyasha! What's happened!" She yelled.  
  
Inuyasha sat up, gingerly.  
  
'What the fuck did he do to her?! Damn him, he fucked with her head! Kagome, please be all right!'  
  
He knew a rib was cracked, and it hurt to breath in. "It's Kagome. She's awake, but she's not herself. I don't think she knows where she is. She knocked me back. It's that damned charm he put on her, she frightened and I can't comfort her."  
  
Shippo and Miroku stood behind Sango. While the adults were taking in what just occurred, Shippo focused only on the words "Kagome's awake." Taking advantage of their distracted talk, the kitsune ran past them, through the hole in Kaede's damaged wall.  
  
"Kagome! It's me, Shippo!" he yelled.. He ran toward the young woman he missed so much and loved like a mother.  
  
Kagome couldn't hear him. She was trapped inside walls of stone, and they were screaming, screaming in pain inside her head. She held out her hand to make it stop, just make it stop!  
  
Shippo went flying out the wall with a force harder than had hit Inuyasha. Inuyasha was getting himself up when Shippo crashed into him, knocking him back to the ground with Shippo sprawled on top.  
  
Shippo was hurt, his arm was twisted in the fall, causing him severe pain, and he had a deep cut across his forehead from the splintered wood beam he came crashing through. Inuyasha felt his hurt rib break further, and clenched his teeth in pain.  
  
"Uumph! Shippo! GET THE HELL OFF ME!" He yelled, pushing the child away.  
  
The terrified kitsune realized Kagome had done this. He knew about the charm she wore, that it was supposed to keep demons away. Kagome wanted him to stay away from her? Thinking about what just happened, he knew that if he had hit the ground instead of Inuyasha with that much force, he might be dead now, killed from the impact. He began to cry in shock, feeling lost, utterly destroyed. Kagome had done this, she hurt him, she didn't love him.  
  
Inuyasha stood up. He was in a little pain, but he had been in much worse. He knew that in a day or so, his rib would heal. "I need to find out why she's doing this," Inuyasha said, moving to go back inside.  
  
"Inuyasha wait," Kaede called. "If she's upset the protection spell you spoke of could be causing this to happen."  
  
"I KNOW that hag! That's why I need to get her to calm the fuck down, before she really hurts someone!" he barked back.  
  
"Inuyasha, it's safer to let a human check on her. You said the spell repels only demons. You should wait outside with Shippo until we know it's safe."  
  
"I'm not waiting anywhere!" He was not in a mood to be reasoned with.  
  
"You take care of the runt, hag, I'm going go make her talk to me and find out what the hell wrong." "I'll come with you, "Miroku said. "If she's doing this because she's frightened of you for some reason, it's safer for me to go in first. You can stand behind me."  
  
"I'll come too," Sango volunteered, instinctively going back to get her boomerang. She didn't know why she was getting it; she'd never use it against Kagome, but it was a habit, her security against the threatening unknown.  
  
"No," Miroku said with uncharacteristic male force. "You stay here with Kaede and Shippo. Inuyasha and I will go in."  
  
Sango normally she would not have tolerated being told what to do. The thought of being treated like a fragile woman in need of protection from big, strong, men made her bristle, even now. Still, her reasoning told her, she needed to consider what was best for Kagome  
  
'Inuyasha's tale was incredible. If she is frightened by being back after so long,' Sango thought 'it may be better for her if she doesn't have to face all of us at once. It could frighten her more.'  
  
Sango nodded her agreement to Miroku, looking unhappy, and Miroku was visibly relieved she actually was going to listen to him.  
  
Miroku and Inuyasha approached the hut together, Miroku in front.  
  
Inuyasha didn't like the idea of being protected by a human, being protected against Kagome, and following instead of leading, but he knew under the circumstances, Kaede's advice might be right.  
  
The two men walked back to the hut and cautiously peered through the door of the hut. Miroku stepped in and called her name:  
  
"Lady Kagome? Lady Kagome are you awake? "She was sitting up on the bedding, breathing hard, sweating, and staring ahead with vacant eyes. Then he saw it flash past her overhead, just for an instant. "How is this possible?" he said in a whisper, watching Kagome with alarm.  
  
"What?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"Inuyasha. . . ." he whispered back, still watching her. "Kagome's not awake. She's still asleep and she's dreaming. It's not a normal dream either. Something evil is here, something that came through the dream.  
  
"You mean to tell me something from her dream is HERE?"  
  
"Yes. A powerful, dark presence. It shouldn't be possible for a nightmare to have form in the waking world, but this--this THING does. I think that's why she repelled you and Shippo. She doesn't know what she's doing. She can't see you, only what she sees in the dream. This presence is surrounding her."  
  
"Can we wake her?"  
  
"I'm not sure how. I don't think I can exorcise it. If this is a dream it should not be real, yet it is. Somehow, this presence is not just a creation of lady Kagome's mind, but something that used her dream as a way to come here."  
  
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha whispered back, confused.  
  
"Someone with strong magic is causing this dream to happen and giving this thing form. I don't know if I can help unless I know or what's causing this." Tentatively, Miroku held his staff forward, and began to chant the most powerful prayer against evil he knew.  
  
After a moment, Kagome stood up, then fell. "My head!" she screamed, "Oh God! It hurts!" She held her hands over her eyes and face as she tried to get back up. Kagome passed out, and dropped to ground again.  
  
Inuyasha pushed Miroku aside and was down beside her, cradling her in his arms.  
  
She groaned softly, opened her eyes, and focused. Inuyasha's face, his large, yellow eyes intense with worry.  
  
"Inuyasha?" She asked weakly. She tried to sit up but he held her gently in place.  
  
"Ssh! Don't try to get up yet." She could see the concern in his face, but didn't understand what was wrong.  
  
"What–what happened?"  
  
"You had a dream Kagome, a very bad dream." 


	15. Reunions

____________________________________________  
  
Chapter 15 Reunions  
  
Kagome looked up at him, blinking. "Inuyasha, where are we? Why am I lying in your lap?"  
  
He blushed a little at her frank question. "Kagome, we're back. We're in Kaede's hut. Like I told you, you had a bad dream, you stood up and fainted."  
  
"Ohh," she said, still trying to knock her vision clear. There was a slight buzzing in her ears, and she felt like she had a headache coming, but was otherwise fine. She tried to orient herself. "Inuyasha, can I sit up now?"  
  
He nodded and helped her sit.  
  
"I don't remember," she said simply.  
  
"Remember what, the dream?"  
  
"No. I don't remember coming her with you, the trip through the well, falling asleep here, any of it." she looked concerned. Her large, lovely eyes met his, searching for an answer "Inuyahsa, what happened to me?"  
  
He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't know what he should say. It was obvious she was confused, her brain still rattled from the sleeping spell. He was so relieved to see her seeming to be herself again, he didn't want to say anything that might upset her now.  
  
He put his arms around her and hugged her. "Kagome," he told her softly. "It's okay. Don't worry about not remembering right now. I brought you back with me, and you're safe."  
  
She pulled back slightly to look at him again. She smiled, but then furrowed her brows in a frown. She opened her mouth to start to speak again.  
  
Inuyasha saw her frown in concern and wanted it to stop. "Ssh! I told you, don't worry. You're with me, okay? Without thinking about it, without remembering he had an audience, Inuyasha quickly kissed her surprised mouth and held her chin up in his hand. "You're with me now," he said, smiling at her.  
  
****************  
  
Kagome's eyes grew huge as she looked at him, more surprised and confused now by his actions than by her own memory lapse.  
  
'God! What's going on here? Inuyasha just KISSED me! Oh my God, he did! He kissed me and he's smiling too!' now she was definitely confused.  
  
"Inuyasha, are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"AAGH-HA-HUM!" Miroku coughed loudly into his hand, trying unsuccessfully to cover his huge, insuppressible grin.  
  
Kagome looked up and saw him, and gasped. She quickly stood and said "Miroku! It's so good to see you!" With a happy smile, she walked over to him.  
  
Inuyasha sat cross-legged on the ground, his face the color of his temper, a very hot red. 'Uugh! I forgot about HIM. I'm going to have to kill that damn monk for this!'  
  
"Lady Kagome, it's good to see you too," he said smiling. "It's very, VERY good. I must say you've grown up since I saw you last, you're figure is–so womanly. If you would care to–"  
  
"Miroku, don't finish that thought!" Kagome said, turning red.  
  
"Or you die!" He was hit from behind with Sango's boomerang, and passed out once more.  
  
Kagome looked up from Miroku's dropped form to her friend.  
  
"SANGO! I've missed you so much!" she said, rushing past Miroku.  
  
The two women embraced. "I've missed you too Kagome!" Sango said smiling warmly at her and holding both her hands. She noticed the changes in Kagome's appearance, and realized that after only a month apart, the young woman in front of her was probably her own age now. She looked down at Miroku and said in a rather apologetic tone, "I guess I can't blame him too much for what he was thinking just now. You've grown into a beautiful woman."  
  
Kagome blushed and smiled. "Thank you Sango. You look as lovely as ever, and I see your aim is still sharp!"  
  
The both laughed. "Yes, I get lots of daily practice with that letch around!"  
  
Both women laughed again. Inuyasha, had been standing back, watching Kagome become reacquainted with her friends. He was glad Sango showed up when he did. Miroku was about to suffer much worse pain than a little bump on the head. He gave a small smile. Kagome seemed to be completely recovered from the sleeping spell and nightmare, and she looked truly happy to be back with her friends. But, best of all, he had made his intentions clear to her. He had kissed her again, and this time she was awake for it. It would have been better, of course, if Miroku had not been there leering, but he dismissed that. His cracked rib was beginning to hurt, and he leaned against the wall.  
  
'She may not be free of Michael yet,' he reminded himself, remembering how he got hurt. 'But she will be.'  
  
Inuyasha walked over to the women just as Kagome was asking Sango a question:  
  
"Where's Kaede and Shippo? I really can't wait to see him!" she said smiling excitedly. "I want to give him some treats I brought back. Inuyasha, do you know where my bags are?" she asked looking around.  
  
Inuyasha and Sango exchanged looks of alarm. Kagome didn't know what had happened while she was sleeping. She had no idea what she had done.  
  
"Uh, Kagome," Inuyasha began. "We need to talk first. Sango, can you give us a minute?"  
  
She smiled tensely and nodded. "I'll just drag him outside to sleep it off," she said, grabbing Miroku forcibly by the legs and pulling his unconscious form backward out the door.  
  
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, confused again.  
  
"Kagome, come sit with me," he said.  
  
He was definitely acting strange. Something was wrong, and from the way he was acting, it had to be really bad.  
  
She followed him to the small table and sat down. She noticed that he lowered himself slowly, closing his eyes as he moved.  
  
"Inuyasha are you all right?" she asked, her voice going up in concern.  
  
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, he said, sitting down and letting out a painful breath. He was hurting, and needed rest, but that could wait. "Kagome," he began. "What's the last thing you remember?"  
  
She wrinkled her brow and thought hard. The last thing I remember. . . .I was with Michael, I was crying, angry. Why was I angry?" Her face was tense as she strained to remember.  
  
He almost answered for her, but before he did, she spoke "My birthday gift. He gave me, he, he, OH- DAMN HIM!" she flared, looking down at her neck. She remembered. She looked and held the charm up on it's chain. She looked at the silver angel, it's fluid design, the steadily-glowing, round, blue stone set in the middle of it's cross-like form. She looked up at Inuyasha, hot, angry tears in her eyes. "I can't believe he did this to me," she said in a hurt voice so low it was almost a whisper.  
  
Inuyasha felt terrible for her. Michael had done this to her against her will. She was bound to him, and there was nothing she could do about it, not even 500 years distanced from him.  
  
"Kagome, he began again, gently. "What do you remember after that, after he gave you the necklace?"  
  
She frowned deeply again, frustrated tears gathering in her eyes. "I can't remember anything!" she said, feeling a growing sense of panic. "I don't even remember coming here with you!"  
  
It was just as Michael had said. 'Except he left out the little part about nightmares with invisible creatures attacking her,' he thought bitterly. All she remembered was being put under the binding spell and her anger, nothing else. Inuyasha let out another painful breath in relief.  
  
********************  
  
He filled in for her what happened after that, leaving out parts and filling the holes in the story creatively. He didn't tell her about Michael confessing his love to her and then making her fall asleep. He told her instead that she was angry with him and that she went into her room.  
  
She remembered that part. So far, so good. He told her that she changed clothes and fell asleep on her bed. After ordering Inuyasha not to leave until Kagome woke up, Michael left the apartment.  
  
She was listening intently, accepting everything he told her as true. Inuyasha had picked her up and carried her through the well while she slept. He had brought here to, to Kaede's hut. 'Well, that much is true,' he thought.  
  
When she asked about her bags, he told her he brought them too, they were just outside. Kagome looked at him in gratitude and said, "Thank you Inuyasha. Thank you for taking care of me and bring me and my things. She laughed, remembering how grouchy he had been about the size of her bag. "I guess you really are a prince charming deep-down after all," she said, teasing a little.  
  
He blushed a little and looked down.  
  
Kagome was thinking about everything he had told her. It all made sense, but she was still confused.  
  
"Inuyasha," she asked looking out the window, "You wanted to leave early in the morning. I remember waking up, doing training exercises with Michael on the roof, eating breakfast. Chloe came back and said she wanted to talk with you. . . . you went with her for a walk while I called my mom. . ."  
  
Inuyasha looked up at her, his heart racing, how much more would she remember?  
  
"That's right, he said. "All of that happened."  
  
Something happened to Chloe. . . ." she said, suddenly frowning. "Michael carried her in--she fainted-- while she was with you!"  
  
"Yes," he said, looking down. "I don't know what happened. We were coming back to the apartment and she just collapsed. I would have carried her myself, but Michael wanted to and since I don't really know her–"  
  
Kagome nodded in understanding. "Okay, all that makes sense, but there's still something I don't understand--If you brought me back here this morning, why is it dark now? Inuyasha, how long was I asleep?"  
  
Slowly, he told her about long sleep. He didn't want to tell her, he wanted to protect her and not worry her, but he knew this couldn't be kept from her. If there was something attacking her in her sleep, she needed to know. First, he told her about the presence Miroku sensed around her. He explained that they thought it this that was force that kept her sleeping for so long. She visibly paled when he told her this and looked so frightened, he wanted to stop. She heard the pause in his voice and knew there was more:  
  
"Tell me the rest of it, Inuyasha," she said looking at him seriously. He told her about how Michael's protection spell had worked when he had tried to wake her.  
  
The look of realization and horror on her face was almost too much for him to bear.  
  
"Inuyasha, what did I do to you?! God, you're hurt aren't you? You've been hurt all this time!" She was crying again. "Oh, Inuyasha, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to–I mean, I'm just so sorry."  
  
He tried to comfort her and tell her that he was really okay, it was just a broken rib. When she saw the damaged wall by the front door, she looked shocked all over again. "I did this to you?" she said, "I did this." fresh tears forming in her eyes.  
  
"Kagome, you didn't do anything," he said earnestly. "You were asleep. You didn't know what you were doing. It was that damn binding spell and Michael's protection charm. He's responsible for it, not you."  
  
She surprised him by quickly standing over him. "Inuyahsa, show me. Take off your coat and shirt, now."  
  
"What?! No way! I'm not doing that!"  
  
"I want to see how bad it is. I need to see."  
  
"No you don't!" he said, embarrassment flaring. "I'm half-demon, remember? It's no big deal, I heal quick. Hell, it'll be fine by tomorrow."  
  
"Inuyasha," she said, suddenly sounding very authoritative. "Broken ribs, even demon ribs, shouldn't be taken lightly. If not set the bones may not heal back in place properly, and if there's inflammation around the site, there's danger of a bacterial infection. Really, Inuyasha, I need to see."  
  
"Hmph!" he huffed, "forget about it. I told you, I'm fine."  
  
She wasn't about to forget, but then he said something that distracted her.  
  
"If you want to go poking around checking on someone, you should go look at Shippo. When he was thrown back, he landed on me and–"  
  
She looked at him, her face a mask of freshly dawning horror. "Shippo! I hurt Shippo! Oh God, Inuyasha! Why didn't you tell me sooner!" She turned from him and ran out the door, leaving Inuyasha sitting alone at the table with only his thoughts.  
  
'Well, so much for all her concern for you. . . .Oh, just shut-up already.'  
  
Kagome ran outside and was greeted by Kaede, Sango and Miroku, who were all seated around a fire pit enjoying a stew. Kaede gave her a quick hug, and seeing how upset the young woman was, explained to her that Shippo's injuries were not serious, thanks to Inuyasha receiving the brunt of the hit when Shippo went airborne.  
  
Still stricken, Kagome asked where the young fox demon was.  
  
"After I attended to his arm and forehead, he ran away. Just give him time, child, he'll come back when he's ready."  
  
"No," she replied. "I can't do that!"  
  
She went over to her large duffle-bag and unzipped a small side compartment. Pulling out a flashlight and turning it on, she ran toward the woods, looking for him.  
  
Inuyasha was sore and tired. So much had happened, and now this. 'Well, at least you know how that charm works,' he thought. Maybe there would be some good in it after all. If it worked as well as it seemed to tonight, Kagome was well-protected from demon-attacks. 'But what if she's caught unaware? She has to be frightened or upset for that thing to work, right? I guess it's up to me to make sure she's not caught unaware.'  
  
This is what he was thinking as he walked from the hut. He was met by Miroku, who was coming to get him. Kagome had left by herself, going into the woods to search for Shippo.  
  
"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed. He was too sore to jump up and fly through the trees. He took off on foot, running after her as fast as he could.  
  
"Shippo!" she called, "Shippo, please! It's me, Kagome. Shippo, please come out and talk to me! Shippo I'm sorry! Please, please come out!"  
  
Kagome called his name over and over, shining the light ahead of her and to the sides through the trees. She knew that if the kitsune didn't want her to find him, she never would. He could even be hiding right in front of her, transformed as a tree or rock.  
  
Finally, realizing that searching for him like this was a useless folly, she turned off the light and stood in the darkness, crying and speaking in a low voice now:  
  
"Shippo. I don't know if you can hear me. If you can, then please just listen. I am really, really sorry honey. I love you Shippo. I love you and I've missed you terribly. I never want to hurt you.  
  
I'm under a spell that was put on me without my knowledge by my protector in my time. It's designed to create a barrier between me and demons if I feel threatened or upset. When the force of the spell hit you, I was asleep. I know I looked like I was awake, Inuyasha told me my eyes were open and I was sitting up, but I didn't know what I was doing. If I could have stopped it from happening, I would have. I would never want to hurt you or Inuyasha, ever. Shippo, I promise you, I promise–"  
  
"You promise what Kagome?" Said a small voice suddenly appearing beside her legs.  
  
"Oh Shippo!" she said, kneeling down to see him better in the darkness and meet his gaze. "I've missed you so much. I thought of you every day for the past two years and I was so sad! I never thought I'd get to see you again. I thought about you growing up and what you would be like. I know your hurt and it's my fault. Please don't hate me, Shippo. I don't think I could bear that."  
  
"Kagome," I don't hate you, the demon child said. "I love you. I love you, and I missed you too."  
  
With that, Kagome cried "Oh Shippo!" and she reached out and scooped the little fur-ball of a child up in her arms. She hugged him carefully and he hugged her back. "How bad are your injuries?" she asked.  
  
"Aw, I'm okay. Kaede cleaned me up and stuff. I'm tough, you know! Plus I landed on Inuyasha when I went flying. It's actually kind-of funny, thinking about it.. . ."  
  
It was at that moment that Kagome and Shippo heard a loud, unmistakable "swishing" sound behind them, the sound of Tetsiga, slicing through the air.  
  
Kagome stepped back, instinctively placing Shippo behind her. She turned on her flashlight and shone them directly in Inuyasha's glowing, orange eyes.  
  
"Damn woman! Put that thing away! You're blinding me!" Inuyasha was breathing in hard, raspy breaths and leaning on Tetsiga.  
  
Behind him, only about five feet from where Kagome and Shippo stood, the steaming remains of what looked like a giant cockroach demon were strewn. Kagome shone the light along the demon remains, her heart racing. Inuyasha had definitely killed it in one swipe. The cockroach was not enhanced with a jewel shard. She would have felt it coming if it had been. Still, the thing was huge, it's carapace fully eight-feet long and the antennas on its severed head almost as long. That thing, she realized, had been creeping stealthily toward her and Shippo. It hadn't made a sound, they were totally unaware of the danger.  
  
She shined the flashlight back on Inuyasha again. "Hey!" he complained. "I told you to stop that!"  
  
"Inuyasha," she said, walking over to him. "Thank you. You just saved us both." As he leaned on his sword, the young woman hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
He was surprised, and he liked the reward of the kiss. These little kisses were something that she never did when she was younger. A little older and bolder about expressing her feelings, Kagome was more outgoing in a way that Inuyasha definitely liked. "Yeah, thanks jerk!" Shippo said, and, imitating Kagome, jumped from her arms to give him a kiss on the cheek as well.  
  
"Aargh! I didn't say you could kiss me, brat!" the startled hanyou roared at the child.  
  
"You didn't say she could do it either, but you didn't seem to mind," Shippo said in a mock-hurt voice.  
  
Kagome giggled.  
  
"Next time you're roach bait, fox!" Inuyasha snarled.  
  
"Shippo, don't tease him. He did just save us after all. We should all get back to Kaede's. I'm starting to get the creeps here." The thought of a cockroach, even a tiny one, made Kagome shudder. This giant one was a B- movie nightmare come true.  
  
Inuyasha nodded. He wanted to go back too. The only trouble was he was having difficulty breathing and walking without being in pain. Kagome noticed that he was sill leaning on his sword and not making any sudden movements.  
  
"Inuyasha. It hurts, doesn't it?"  
  
"I'll be fine," he grunted. To Kagome, the answer was as clear as a yes.  
  
"Here, let me help you get back to Kaede's. I want you to lean on me. Shippo, can help to carry Tetsiga with your injuries?" she asked. He quickly said "yes," excited to be allowed to help.  
  
"No way! I don't need any help walking, and Shippo's not going NEAR my sword."  
  
"Inuyasha, you're not really in any shape to argue. Now, if you want to get back to Kaede's before morning, I suggest you let us help you." She tried to sound as reasonable as possible.  
  
"Hmph!" he grunted. "I was fine enough to come out here and save your sorry asses, wasn't I?"  
  
Kagome was annoyed at this last comment. So much for being reasonable. She remembered how a rude comment like this in the past would have earned him a fast "sit." She wondered briefly if he still had his rosary, what she would do now, but since she didn't have it, she decided to improvise:  
  
"Yes, Inuyasha, you did," she said smiling up at him in a soft, cooing voice, "and our sorry asses are very grateful to you. Now, will you please allow us to express our gratitude for saving our lives by letting us assist you?"  
  
He looked at her skeptically and suppressed his own smile. Oh, she was really adorable when she was trying to play him. So adorable, in fact, it was starting to work.  
  
"Fine," he said. "If it makes you feel better, but I'm only doing it for you, not because I need your help."  
  
"Yes, Inuyasha, we understand," Kagome said smiling. She gave him another quick kiss on the cheek. Only the darkness of the night hid his blush and obvious pleasure.  
  
'I think I'm kind of glad he doesn't have the rosary now. . . this way of controlling him promises much more fun!' Kagome thought, smiling at how cute she thought he was. She was still worried about his injuries and was glad to be getting back to camp without any more delays.  
  
They made their way back with Inuyasha leaning heavily on Kagome for support. Shippo was walking in front, struggling under the weight of the sword, but managing nonetheless. Inuyasha only growled at him once, when he tried to drag it along the ground. Shippo thought about saying something about how when it wasn't transformed it was just an old, beat-up sword anyway, so this couldn't hurt it any, but in the hanyou's present state, decided not to press his luck.  
  
As they walked back in relative silence, Inuyasha reflected: 'I was right. The spell doesn't protect her if she's not aware of a danger. Her emotions trigger it. If that cockroach had attacked her before she even had a chance to think. . . . ' he didn't want to think about that. Michael's protection wasn't enough to keep her safe. She still needed him. He was going to protect her, no matter what.  
  
******************  
  
They reached camp as Miroku, Sango and Kaede were drinking tea. Miroku and Sango had attempted to repair Kaede's wall, nailing boards back together and covering the gaps in the wall with blankets for the night. Inuyasha was hurting, and so not really listening to their conversation as they approached, but the way the three humans stopped talking when they returned told Inuyasha that the current topic of discussion was "the kiss." He was going to have to have a serious talk with the monk about keeping his big mouth shut.  
  
After filling the three in on what had just happened with the cockroach demon, and giving Inuyasha plenty of credit for saving them, Kaede brought them each over a bowl of stew she had saved. Inuyasha took his, but Kagome politely declined, explaining that meat wasn't in her diet anymore.  
  
"You don't eat any meat at all, child?" Kaede asked concerned.  
  
"No. I'm a vegetarian. Only fruits and vegetables."  
  
"But, Sango said, "You can't possibly survive that way, you'll grow weak. You need meat to sustain you." Inuyasha was also alarmed. What did she eat now, grass and leaves? Kagome tried to explain the basics of nutrition to her friends; how fats, carbohydrates, and proteins were all needed for optimum health and that all were present in plants if you ate the right combination. They looked at her as if she had started howling at the moon.  
  
"I know it must seem strange, but I've been a vegetarian for almost two years now. I'm on a special diet now too, one that Michael makes me stick to religiously, so I really don't ever eat anything but my own food."  
  
At the mention of Michael's name there was an awkward silence.  
  
Kagome excused herself and said she needed to get her meal out of her bag, which was now inside Kaede's hut.  
  
As soon as she left, Inuyasha turned to the group and said "None of you say a word to her about Michael placing her under a sleeping spell!"  
  
If any of them questioned his command, no one dared voice it. Although it was clear to all of them that Inuyasha didn't like Michael, it was also clear that Inuyasha had his reasons for not wanting Kagome to know what he did to her. Miroku and Sango strongly suspected that Inuyasha's was finally starting to admit his true feelings for her, and that this had something to do with his insistence.  
  
Kagome emerged from the hut holding a small rectangular package. Four sets of eyes looked at her, mystified. She sat down, seemingly oblivious, and opened the plastic wrapper. She was looking forward to this meal, a chocolate-raspberry flavored high-protein energy bar. She bit into her bar, a look of pure pleasure on her face as she chewed.  
  
Her friends just stared at her, incredulously. Kagome still didn't seem to notice, and asked Sango for a cup of tea.  
  
"Lady Kagome, "Miroku asked. "Is that all you will eat?"  
  
"For tonight, yes," she said. "But I try to eat a piece of fruit twice a day, and take vitamins."  
  
He stared at her, and she realized he had no idea of what she meant.  
  
"Hey you guys!" Kagome said, "don't worry about it okay? What I eat is really healthy and delicious."  
  
"Kagome, can I try some of your dinner?" Shippo asked.  
  
Inuyasha was extremely annoyed, seeing how tiny the "meal" was anyway. He didn't want Shippo eating any of what little food she was willing to consume, but before he could voice this, she said,  
  
"Sure Shippo!" She broke him off a piece of the bar and handed it to him.  
  
He put it in his mouth excitedly, and, his eyes huge with shock, he spit it out, gagging.  
  
"Kagome! That's not the chocolate bars you used to bring me!" He said. "That stuff's AWFUL!"  
  
Kagome laughed, "No little one, it's not as good as a chocolate bar, I suppose, but I did bring back plenty of those too. Would you like one now?"  
  
He stopped spitting in the grass and jumped up into her lap, eyes shining. "Yes, yes, yes! Please Kagome!" "All right," She laughed, "I have some small gifts for everyone. I'll just go them now."  
  
Kagome went back inside to bring the items she had packed for her friends out of the duffle bag. Digging through the bag, she frowned. She hadn't had much time to chose gifts, and, since she didn't do any shopping, these were all things of hers, things that she was re-giving. She hoped her friends wouldn't mind the "used" gifts. At home, the thought of leaving these small things here with them had felt right, now, it just didn't seem like enough. She had left in such a bad way last time, she shook her head remembering. She never thought she would get a second chance to make things right, but Inuyasha had given that to her, all of them did. Now she wanted to live up to that chance and do everything she could to bring their quest to a successful ending, including, when the time came for it, proper goodbyes. But she didn't want to save these things for later. Once they started shard hunting again, anything could happen. Best to do this now, to make sure it gets done. She found everything she was looking for and re- joined her friends.  
  
To Shippo she gave two candy bars and promised him more later. She also gave him an artist's kit in a wooden box. She had gotten it for Christmas from Sota a couple of years ago, but never had the time to use it. The box had paper, markers, oil paints, pastes, a pencil sharpener and colored pencils of every color. He was absolutely delighted, and gave her a giant hug, then ran off to "create" and eat chocolate.  
  
For Kaede, she brought a recent paper-back book on herbal healing. It was in Japanese, with pictures of all the plants, their common and scientific names, and their suggested uses. There was also a separate section on illnesses and diagnoses. Kagome thought that even if the names had changed, most of the plants found in modern Japan were found here. She was sure Kaede knew more than this book, but thought it still might interest her. She also brought seeds from her trip to America--mint, chamomile, sage, Echinacea, osha, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro, and others. She didn't know if they would all grow in Japan's climate, but she thought there was a good chance that some might. Some of these Kaede seemed to find similar to herbs that grew nearby. Others she was baffled by and very intrigued by as Kagome explained their medicinal as well as seasoning uses.  
  
"You have learned much in your time about healing since you last left, child."  
  
Kagome hugged her and thanked her for the compliment. Then Kaede excused herself to go inside and rest.  
  
Next she gave Sango a small bottle of perfume. Sango liked it, Miroku loved it, and Inuyasha complained that it was too strong and sneezed several times when Sango waved it under his nose. She also gave her the bracelet she had purchased at the Medieval Fair in Austin last year with Paul. She had been instantly attracted to the leather cord bracelet with the striking brushed-silver slide charm. The woman at the booth told her the charm was Teiwaz, the Celtic Ruin symbol for The Warrior.  
  
Sango was touched deeply by Kagome's generosity and gave her a warm, sisterly hug. As Kagome was being hugged, she suddenly found her self moved to tears. Her eyes shed just a couple of tears.  
  
Sango looked at her friend, knowingly. Kagome was sentimental and often cried when she was happy. But suddenly, this was different. She was crying heavier, weeping and quickly found herself desperately trying to force it down. Kagome experienced an unexpected break in the wall of her mind's fortress–she thought she was steeled against her loss and grief, her fears. But all the changes of the last few months, the last forty-eight hours, were beginning to catch up to her.  
  
Sango looked at her in alarm and patted her gently.  
  
"Kagome, what is it? What's wrong?" Sango asked.  
  
Kagome knew she was on the verge of letting it all go, that she was worrying her friends, making a scene. 'Stop this, Stop it right now! You're not a child anymore! Stop indulging yourself!'  
  
Kagome pulled back, and dried her eyes. "Lady Kagome?" Miroku began.  
  
"I'm sorry everyone. I'm okay. I guess I'm just a little tired, even after sleeping a day away," she forced herself to laugh as she wiped the tears away.  
  
Her friends, however, were not laughing. All three looked at her with deep concern.  
  
'Okay, Now they're all looking at you like your crazy! You caused this, now fix it!' Kagome told herself.  
  
"Was it the earlier nightmare that upset you?" Sango asked.  
  
Kagome nodded, trying to brush it off. "Yes, that's all it was--the earlier nightmare." 'The nightmare that happened this past winter. . . .' Kagome chilled at the unwanted memories, that night that refused to be forgotten, as hard as she tried to push it back.  
  
Inuyasha, who had been uncharacteristically quiet up to now, spoke: "What happened?"  
  
Kagome was taken aback by his abrupt directness, his seeming ability to read her thoughts.  
  
"What do you mean?" she said, trying to keep her voice even.  
  
"In the dream Kagome. What happened in the dream?" His large, orange eyes were assessing her, probing for answers.  
  
Truthfully, she didn't remember. The dream had nothing to do with why she was crying, but what could she say now? It always bothered Inuyasha when she cried, and she had expected him to demand to know what was wrong earlier. 'How can I make him stop asking me about it?'  
  
"Inuyasha, I don't want to talk about it just yet. I'm not sure how much I remember. We can talk about it later, okay?" Kagome didn't know it, but her heart-rate had sped up again, and there it was, the undeniable smell of fear.  
  
"Sure, Kagome. Later is fine."  
  
She gave a tense smile and let out a shallow breath, stunned by her good fortune. Inuyasha wasn't going to press, and she wouldn't have to fight him after all. But Inuyasha wasn't letting anything go. He was just much better at hiding his feelings. He was getting angry, and he remembered something he had heard Sota say once, chasing his sister: 'Liar, liar, pants on fire, Kagome.'  
  
"Hey!" she said, forcing a smile. "If I promise no more water works can we PLEASE get back to having a little fun? I still have presents to give out!"  
  
Her brightness was convincing, at least to Sango and Miroku, who both smiled in relief, and agreed to drop it.  
  
She handed Miroku, a purple silk box with a white-embroidered pagoda design on the lid.  
  
"This belonged to my grandfather, Miroku. He died a few months ago, and he left this to me."  
  
"I'm sorry for your loss, Lady Kagome," Miroku said with true sympathy.  
  
Inuyasha was stunned to hear of Kagome's grandfather's passing. He found himself saddened to hear that the old man who had given him so much trouble was actually gone. He smiled at the memory of Kagome's crazy grandfather trying to banish him and seal the well.  
  
"This was one of his most-treasured possessions." she said, and found herself shaking her head and laughing a little "I'm laughing only because he knew I never really believed in this stuff, but he left it to me anyway. He was so stubborn! I know he would be happy that it was being given to someone who might appreciate it."  
  
She handed the box to Miroku who nodded in thanks. He opened the lid and gasped. Inside was a glass amulet shaped like a six-pointed star. The glass was milky-white in the center and translucent on the star's tapering points. "Lady Kagome," he said, "This is indeed a powerful charm for banishing evil. It has grown in power with the time that has passed since it was created. I think in your time this would be very old-- I have only seen something like this once before. Are you sure about giving this away? This is a very valuable object for collectors of such things, not to mention the fact that it is truly a powerful instrument in fighting evil."  
  
Kagome smiled at him. "Good, she said, then it's been placed in the right hands."  
  
Inuyasha watched this and remembered back to earlier in the evening, when Miroku helped Kagome wake up by chanting a prayer. 'Maybe I haven't given the monk enough credit, maybe he isn't a complete charlatan.' he thought.  
  
Just as he thought this, he saw Miroku place his gift on the bench to give Kagome a hug:  
  
Kagome and Miroku embraced, Miroku's hand reached up, and,--before he knew what was happening, he was flying over Kagome's back, and landing hard in the dirt. He was having trouble breathing, something was crushing his throat. . . . He opened his eyes, expecting to see Inuyasha's claws around his neck, but instead saw that the weight was Kagome's boot.  
  
She stood over him, hands on her hips, and one foot pressing firmly into his exposed skin. "I told you it was great to see you again, Miroku, NOT to be felt up by you." she said looking down at him with a calm, dangerous grin. She released him just as Sango hit him with the boomerang, again knocking him out. As she moved off from Miroku, Kagome told Sango they needed to talk about new ways to punish Miroku--she didn't think he could take many more blows to the head without serious brain damage.  
  
Inuyasha and Sango stared at her in amazement.  
  
"Where the hell did you learn how to do that?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"I told you, Michael's been working with me, mostly on defensive moves," she said.  
  
"Will you show me?" Sango asked. Both women laughed.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. He hated that Kagome was with Michael, but he had to admit, she had gained some serious new skills.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said turning to him, "I have something for you too, and before you ask, no, it's not more ramen!"  
  
"Oh Kagome," he said, more than a little surprised that she had thought of him. "You gave me a gift just now, watching you deal with Miroku like that!" he shook his head again.  
  
She walked up to him smiling and held a slender and long black velvet pouch in her hand. "This is for you."  
  
He looked at her quizzically. "Kagome, I can come with you to your time, I don't need anything."  
  
"I know you don't need anything," she said, "but I want to give you this, okay?"  
  
He opened it and held a silver flute, etched with engravings of mountains and trees.  
  
It was beautiful, but Inuyasha didn't understand what it was.  
  
"It's a flute Inuyasha. It's the first instrument I learned how to play. It takes practice, but it makes amazingly sweet, beautiful music. I don't know if you'll ever want to try it, but I have a feeling that if you do, you'd get the hang of it quickly."  
  
He looked at her, unsure of what to say. Why was she giving him this?  
  
To fill the silence, she continued to speak: "My father gave this to me when I was a young girl," she said shyly, but still looking him in the eyes. I want you to have it because I want to give you something to remember me by someday."  
  
He was stunned. No one besides his mother had ever given him a gift. Before him stood the woman who also found and gave him the gift his father bequeathed him, Tetsiga. As he stood looking at her, he realized with dismay that over the years she had given him so many, many gifts. . . .There were so many small things she did for him, things that he had never told her he noticed. Now she was giving him this, something her father gave her, something precious to her. This was unfathomable; he couldn't even think of what to say in the face of such startling kindness.  
  
His heart was beating so hard in his chest he thought the others could hear it. His throat was dry. What could he say to this woman that could ever be enough?  
  
She was looking at him, watching his face for some kind of reaction, hoping, praying he wouldn't laugh at her gift or say something dismissive. He looked away from her, and she interpreted his avoidance as a sign of his displeasure. She didn't want to cry now. 'Come on, Kagome, if he doesn't like it, so what? That's not the point of giving something, is it?' She lowered her eyes and started to turn to leave.  
  
"Kagome," he whispered, his voice horse, "Thank you."  
  
She gave a small smile and an inward sigh of relief. "You're welcome." she said quietly.  
  
**************  
  
After lingering a little while longer around the fire, and admiring Shippo's new self-portrait that he painted, the group decided to turn in. Kaede had a small guest-hut that they normally used as home-base for their treks. Inuyasha's rib was starting to give him a lot of pain again, and he knew he needed to rest so his body could mend. Kagome went inside and changed into a sleeping shirt that looked like a short pink dress and brushed her teeth with bottled water. 'It's always the little things like indoor plumbing and running water you miss,' she thought. When she and Sango finished getting ready to sleep, the women and Miroku began spreading out their bedrolls. Inuyasha turned and began walking away, ready to leave them and get his rest too.  
  
"Inuyasha, please, wait a minute!" Kagome called.  
  
She followed him outside, where he stood waiting, trying not to favor his hurt side too much in front of her.  
  
'Oh, I hope this works,' she thought.  
  
"I want to ask you a special favor."  
  
He looked at her, waiting.  
  
"I know you don't like to do it, but could you please spend one night here in the hut with me?"  
  
He looked at her and blinked. 'Did I hear her right?' he wondered, starting to blush.  
  
"I'm only asking because of my earlier nightmare. I'm a little uncomfortable about going to sleep tonight. If you stayed with us, I know I'd feel safer."  
  
'Oh, that's what she meant.' He looked at her, trying to decide. He felt a warm rush when she said she felt safer with him, but he didn't know if it was wise to sleep inside tonight. He could rest in the tree and still keep an eye out for potential dangers. This way, he wouldn't have that advantage. He wasn't planning on sleeping too much–he was still worried about Kagome's dream too. What Miroku said about a "dark force" causing the dream was ominous. He wanted to stand-guard over her. In the tree he could hear her if she started having a nightmare again, and he could keep watch too.  
  
"Do you remember anything else from your nightmare?" he asked her.  
  
She shook her head and he could tell she wasn't lying about this.  
  
What had upset her earlier? What was it she was hiding this time? He wanted to know, and the thought that she was keeping things from him bothered him deeply. He didn't want to confront her tonight, however, not after her gift. His arm brushed against flute, tucked into his belt under his coat. He was still so moved by what she had done, by what she had given him.  
  
"I'll stay on one condition," he said.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Tell me what you meant earlier, when you gave me the flute."  
  
She looked at him, puzzled. "What I meant by giving it to you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She took in a deep breathe, closed her eyes. She stood quietly, thinking about the difference in what she wanted to say to him and what she knew she could.  
  
"Inuyasha," she answered after a moment. "Seeing you again yesterday changed my life. I didn't think I would ever see you again or ever be back here with you again. When I left before, I almost destroyed the well with my anger. I was so selfish then, all I could think about was me. I've had plenty of time to think back on it over the past two years, and it always made me feel so sad. I couldn't even tell you how sorry I was.  
  
"Kagome," he interrupted, "We've already spoken about this and you don't need to apologize anymore." 'It was my fault. I'm the one who hurt you,' he thought.  
  
"I know, and thank you for that, you've been unbelievably understanding about it, but I didn't give you the flute because I was sorry for leaving or to say thank you for finding me either. I want you to have it because when this quest is over, our lives together will be over too. You'll have a life to live once this is all behind us. I will too, so we will go separate ways. I guess giving you the flute was selfish of me."  
  
"Selfish?! How could you say you're selfish?" he asked, incredulous.  
  
"I'm selfish because after the quest, when I leave this time for good, and we both go on with the business of living life, I wanted you to have something that if you ever looked at would make you remember me," she said blushing.  
  
"I wanted to give all of you something to remember me by," she added quickly. "It's easier to think about saying goodbye if I think you won't forget me."  
  
He was stunned by her reasoning. "Kagome, do you think I could forget you?"  
  
"I hope you won't," she answered honestly.  
  
Her words echoed in his mind: 'When I leave this time for good. . . . we will go separate ways.'  
  
'But I don't want to remember you, because I never want to have to. I want you to stay with me, always,' he thought.  
  
He looked at her beautiful, earnest face and felt his heart constrict for her again. He removed the flute from his belt and handed it to her. Kagome was afraid he was returning the gift, that he didn't want it after all.  
  
"Show me," he said.  
  
She looked at him, baffled by his meaning.  
  
"Make music for me, Kagome."  
  
Her eyes grew huge. She didn't expect him to ask her this. "Inuyasha, it's been a long time and I never was very good at playing. . . ."  
  
"I don't care if you're good. Just play."  
  
Obediently, Kagome took the flute from his hands and removed it from it's velvet pouch. It had been such a long time since she had done this, she cringed thinking how embarrassed she was going to be if it sounded terrible. She closed her eyes, and willed herself to remember.  
  
She played the only tune she remembered the fingering for, the one her father had taught her. It was a lullaby she played for Sota when he was an infant. As she played, she heard the word in her mind: ***************** Hush a bye, Don't you cry, Go to sleepy, little baby.  
  
When you wake, You shall have, All the pretty little ponies.  
  
Blacks and Bays, Dapples and Grays, Running in the night,  
  
Hush a bye, Don't you cry, Go to sleepy, little baby. *********************  
  
When she stopped, she saw Inuyasha was not looking at her, he was looking out, toward the woods.  
  
She had no idea how much the melody had moved him, how beautiful it was. The music was peaceful, soothing, and somehow bittersweet. As she played, visions of running with his mother, laughing and chasing each other in the woods came back to him. He felt a rush of anguish, and turned away, not wanting Kagome to see him weak. 'He hated it,' she thought with her head bowed. 'Maybe it sounds terrible to his ears, God, maybe the sounds even hurt him!' She flushed with embarrassment as the fumbled to put the flute back in the velvet pouch. She held it out, tentatively, hoping he would still accept it.  
  
"Inuyasha," she asked, holding it out to him, "Will you please still keep it for me?"  
  
Her voice and words returned him from his visions of past times. He fixed his intense amber eyes on hers and accepted the flute back, tucking it back safely into his belt. "Thank you Kagome. That was–very beautiful," he said with painful honesty.  
  
She was blushing again, this time with happiness.  
  
"Sure. Are you ready to go in?"  
  
"Not yet," he said as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. She was shocked by his sudden show of affection, but she happily accepted it, putting her arms around him, and returning the hug. Again his senses were enveloped, soothed with her warmth and her scent.  
  
He heard her heart beating steady and gently against him. His own heartbeat roared through his ears, propelled by a rushing tide of emotion. She thought his hug was a gesture of their friendship, a reassurance for her insecurity, a thank you for the music.  
  
"Stupid woman," he whispered down playfully in her ear as he held her. He felt her respond with gentle laughter. He was glad she wasn't annoyed, but for once seemed to understand him. "I don't need anything to make me remember you," he whispered. She looked up at him, smiling, and for the second time in one day, Inuyasha kissed her.  
  
It was quick and sweet, and this time, there was no one around to interrupt. Kagome pulled away, trying to suppress her feelings of amazement. 'He's your friend, nothing more, so snap out of it! It's not like you haven't been kissed before. This is just his way of showing you he cares about you, as a friend. Don't read more in. Don't look for more, Don't you DARE even hope for more!'  
  
Still she could not help but try to hold on to the memory of the sensation, the feeling of his arms around her, his hair brushing against her face, his lips. . .  
  
'PAUL, PAUL, PAUL, PAUL!' her mind screamed back at her. 'Think about Paul!–or,' said a smaller, unbidden voice, "think about Michael.'  
  
For a moment, Inuyasha thought she was responding to him, feeling what he felt. Then, like the kiss, it was gone.  
  
"Come on," she said. "We better go join the others before they start to worry."  
  
As they walked together silently back to the hut, Kagome smiled. Her small deception had worked.  
  
She had convinced Inuyasha to stay in a warm bed where he would rest better and she could watch him for signs of infection. The kiss was an unexpected bonus. She wasn't going to allow herself to get excited, but smiling couldn't hurt. 


	16. Keeping Vigils

___________________________________________  
  
Chapter 16 Keeping Vigils  
  
Authors Notes: Two things: First, at the risk of alienating most of my potential readers and my wonderful reviewers, I must re-affirm one of my disclaimers. If you are under 17, go away please. Things are moving slowly forward, but this story has a momentum leading to romance (I'm being tactful here, so don't be dense). It's rated R for more than just curse- words. There are a plethora of WONDERFUL, amazing fanfics without what's going to be coming up in mine. I've read plenty of them. Many PG-13 stories offer great adult situations, and drama with romantic insinuations and mild content. A great place for you if you are younger! Now I'm not going to worry about it anymore, this was the last warning.  
  
Second, in response to one of my latest reviewers: I won't give away details about romantic pairings. Sorry, but the last I'll say on this is to re-state my last author's note at the beginning of Chap. 14—Nothing worth having ever comes easy!  
  
***************************************************************  
  
When they got back to the hut, Sango and Miroku were sitting on their bedding, talking. The bedrolls were placed on opposite sides of the walls, as far apart as the space in the small hut would allow. Shippo was inside Kagome's covers, crawling up and down and making the bedding writhe like it had come to life on its own.  
  
Everyone was surprised to see Kagome return with Inuyasha.  
  
"Hello Lady Kagome, Inuyasha," Miroku greeted them. "Nice night for talking?" he asked. He was trying to appear as it were simply an innocent question, but he shot Sango an "I told you so" look, and began grinning.  
  
"Yes, Miroku, it's perfect outside tonight. So perfect, in fact, that I know you'll be fine sleeping out there when we kick you out."  
  
His face paled, knowing that Kagome and Sango could make good on that threat.  
  
Sango turned to Inuyasha and asked "Why are you back?"  
  
"Kagome asked me to stay here tonight," he replied. Sango shot Miroku a disturbed look.  
  
"That's right," Kagome said, defensively, "I asked him to stay tonight because of my nightmare earlier. I would just feel safer this first night if we were all together," Kagome was embarrassed at what she knew her friends were thinking, especially since, truth be told, the thought of Inuyasha sleeping closer to her was not unwelcome.  
  
"Here, Inuyasha," Shippo said. "I'll make room for you. There's plenty of room under Kagome's blanket for all of us."  
  
"Why you little runt! I'm going to get you good!" Inuyasha yelled at him. He turned red and reached out to grab the child, who, quickly dashed back under the covers.  
  
"Ahh! Kagome! Help me! I didn't do anything! I was trying to be nice!"  
  
Kagome quickly stepped between them and ignored Miroku's laughter behind her.  
  
"Yes, Shippo, you were trying to be nice. Inuyasha's just upset because he's tired, don't worry about it."  
  
"I'M NOT UPSET BECAUSE I'M TIRED, I'M UPSET BECAUSE THAT LITTLE RUNT KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS IMPLYING!"  
  
"What was I implying?" Shippo asked, sticking his head out from the bottom of the blanket.  
  
"NOTHING Shippo. Inuyasha knows that." She gave Inuyasha a pleading look. "Now Shippo, I want you to be a good boy and play a new game with me. It's called the 'Quiet Game.'"  
  
"THE QUIET GAME?" he asked excited, peeking out of the covers again. "GREAT! How do you play?"  
  
"You have to be very, very still. As still as a stone," Kagome said.  
  
"Yes, yes, and then?"  
  
"And then you don't make a sound. Not a single sound. If you stay quiet until I say you can talk, you win."  
  
"I win?!"  
  
"Yes, you win."  
  
"I want to win! I want to win!"  
  
"Good. Shippo, start playing, now."  
  
Shippo disappeared under the covers again; there was not a movement or sound from him.  
  
Inuyasha let out a defeated sigh, deciding to let the runt off easy this time, as long as he kept his mouth shut.  
  
"Inuyasha, you can sleep over here by Miroku," Kagome said. She spread her foam yoga mat and new sleeping bag on the ground for him. She wanted him to have extra cushioning while he rested for his broken rib. She handed him a small, square pillow from her bed at home, and pulled the top quilt off her own bedding for him to use. When she lifted it, Shippo opened his mouth, about to complain.  
  
"Uh-uh Shippo. No talking, remember?" She said, shaking her finger at him.  
  
His little face was sullen, but he didn't speak.  
  
"Oh, I like this game Kagome;" Inuyasha said, smirking "Don't ever quit playing with him."  
  
"Ssh! You be quiet too," she said. He shot her a look and was about to say something back but she cut him off. "I mean it, Lie down now. No more talking."  
  
Sango, lay down, trying to suppress a giggle. 'Kagome's gotten really good at handling children.' she thought, 'children of all ages!'  
  
Miroku looked up at her and asked, "Lady Kagome, will you tuck me in please?"  
  
Before anyone could reply, Sango was across the room and leaning over him. "You're playing the quiet game too!" she said, punching him in the stomach.  
  
He let out a groan, looked up at her angry face, nodded, and rolled over toward the wall.  
  
Kagome smiled and held her hand up in the air. "Sango, slap my hand."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's called a high-five; it's a greeting you give some one when you want to congratulate them for doing something really well."  
  
Sango walked over and slapped Kagome's hand in the air. "Nice work, Sango."  
  
"Thank you, Kagome," she said smiling. She lay back down on her bedding.  
  
Kagome walked over to where Shippo lay. She reached behind him and pulled out her guitar case.  
  
She unzipped the case and took out her guitar. "Shippo," she called softly, sitting down on the bedding beside him.  
  
He lifted the covers and peered up at her. "You won," she whispered.  
  
"Really! Wow! I won! I won!"  
  
"Ssh! You can speak now, but you have to whisper. Do you want a prize for winning?"  
  
He nodded eagerly. "Okay then, lay back down and listen."  
  
She picked up her guitar and gently strummed a lullaby. Everyone listened to the strange, sweet music. They had never seen a guitar before or heard sounds like this, but it sounded beautiful. To Inuyasha it was strange, like the flute, but somehow hauntingly lovely. He recognized the melody as the same song he had heard her play earlier at her apartment. She didn't sing along, but played the music softly by the light of a small candle. When she finished, Shippo asked if he could hear one more song. She agreed to play just one more, and this time she sang softly too. She played and sang "All Through The Night:"  
  
***********************  
  
Sleep my child and peace attend thee, All through the night, Guardian angels God will send thee, All through the night,  
  
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, Hill and vale in slumber sleeping, I, my loving vigil keeping, All thorough the night. . . .  
  
************************  
  
Inuyasha was astonished by the sweet richness of her voice. How could he have known her so long and not know that she sang, that she loved music? None of them knew this about her. He pondered this and realized, it just never came up. The younger Kagome was much too shy to volunteer anything about herself. 'She didn't even want you to know she sings now,' he remembered. 'She said she thought you were going to laugh at her.' He lay still in the darkness, thinking about how much easier it had been for him to laugh at her than face his real feelings. Now that he was facing those feelings, knew without doubt that he loved her, he felt ashamed, foolish for not letting himself feel it sooner.  
  
He listened to the words as she sang the song through a second time and frowned 'That's what happened to you Kagome,' he thought. 'A guardian angel came to you while I was gone. A BIG, STUPID, PAIN IN THE ASS angel.' Thinking of Michael ruined the song for him, and he frowned again. 'I need to tell her not to sing any more songs with THAT word in them,' he thought, frowning.  
  
When she finished, she placed the guitar gently by the side of the wall. Sango and Miroku were breathing softly, lulled to sleep by the music. Shippo yawned. "Kagome," he asked in a drowsy voice, "will you teach me how to make this music someday?"  
  
She smiled and leaned over, kissing his forehead gently, "Yes, little one, I'd love to show you." She stroked his soft fur and climbed in beside him, whispering "goodnight Shippo."  
  
Inuyasha gingerly moved to make his sore side more comfortable. Kagome's music had made him drowsy too. He decided he might try to get just a little rest.  
  
"Inuyasha," she called softly across the room, "sweet dreams."  
  
He didn't answer her, but thought 'you too, Kagome.' He breathed deeply into his pillow, once again inhaling her heady, wonderful scent and closed his eyes.  
  
Kagome lay in the dark, her eyes open, snuggling into Shippo. It felt so nice to hold the soft, furry child against her. She lay still for over an hour, just holding him, feeling him breathing softly and thinking.  
  
On the other side of the room, Miroku was snoring lightly. Sango mumbled something indiscernible in her sleep and rolled over. Kagome lay still, listening for the sound of Inuyasha's breathing. For once she wished he wasn't such a quiet, light sleeper. She wasn't entirely sure he was asleep, but if he was awake, he wasn't moving at all, she heard no sound coming from him, which worried her slightly. She thought if Inuyasha was going to get sick with an infection and spike a fever, it would probably happen at night. She had seen him injured many times and much worse than this. Most of the time he recovered with nothing more than a day's rest. But he had never been injured by HER.  
  
It weighed heavily on her mind that his rib was broken because of her and it bothered her greatly that he had tried to pretend nothing was wrong. She had kept sneaking glances at him periodically all night, when she was sure he wasn't watching her, and he was definitely favoring his hurt left side. It astonished her that he didn't blame her in the least, although he could have. He actually tried to comfort her and tell her it wasn't her fault.  
  
Thinking about Shippo, and what she did to him, she shuddered, thinking how much worse it might have been. The cut on his forehead was deep, but not deep enough for stitches, and Kaede had bandaged it well. If he were a human, his dislocated arm would be giving him so much pain he probably wouldn't be sleeping now. At least demons healed fast.  
  
Still, if only Michael hadn't put her under this damn binding spell. . . .She was definitely not going to just accept this stupid spell forever.  
  
'Inuyasha had to tolerate that rosary for almost four years!' Thinking about this made her feel terrible for him all over again.  
  
Her thoughts turned to Michael. Thinking about him was frustrating, confusing. He was her savior, her protector, the trainer for her physical and miko powers, her roommate, her friend.  
  
'God Kagome, why don't you just say he's your 'everything!' How many women can say they have their own, personal angel?'  
  
As she thought about this, she realized Michael was no more "hers" than Inuyasha had been. She was his assignment, his duty, and, however long it lasted, it was still a temporary job.  
  
Even though he had done so much for her, more than she could ever express enough gratitude for, she was pissed about the binding spell. He tricked her, which hurt her. Kagome trusted him completely, and even if he meant well, it felt like an act of betrayal.  
  
In spite of it, she still owed him everything, she knew that, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. He was the one who was there for her, who helped her through her pain. He kept her alive with music, training, and most of all, the laughter.  
  
'Do all angels laugh as much as Michael?' she wondered.  
  
Thinking about him, his incredible looks, she could imagine herself falling for him.  
  
'Kagome! he's not a MAN, he's a SPIRIT! You CANNOT, WILL NOT think of him in THAT way EVER!! He is an ANGEL, even if he does have a body like a Chippendale Dancer, the most amazing sky-blue eyes I've ever seen. . . .' This wasn't the first time her mind had gone down this twisted path.  
  
'PAUL, PAUL, PAUL, PAUL!' her mind screamed back. 'The only man you can think about like that is PAUL, the man you've agreed to MARRY. You're supposed to be getting married, remember? Look down at that ring on your left hand, baby. Think of the man who gave you that ring, the man who loves you, who wants to always be with you and only you. He's the one you can think about.'  
  
The trouble was, she didn't want to think about him, she realized, frowning in the dark. She purposely avoided thinking and talking about him because she honestly didn't know what the hell she thought any more. So much had happened since his visit last Christmas. Her life had changed, she had changed, and she honestly didn't know if she could just settle down and marry him when all this was over, pretending none of it happened. Should she still plan to share a life with a man she had shared nothing with for several months? She just didn't know. . . .  
  
'You haven't shared anything with Inuyasha for two years, but already you know if things were different, if he asked you even now, you would gladly share everything with him. . . ' she sighed as her oldest and worst habit beckoned. These thoughts and feelings were so familiar. The "happily ever after" she had imagined hundreds, maybe thousands of times over the years. There were so many versions of the fairytale she had woven for herself:  
  
In some versions it happened in her time. He would climb through her bedroom window surprising her. "Inuyasha!" she would say, "What are you doing here? I'm not due back for another two days. Is something wrong?" He would stare at her and suddenly drop to his knees, confessing his undying love for her, asking her to be his. She would rush into his arms crying tears of happiness. Then they would kiss . . . .  
  
Other times it happed here, in the Feudal Era. Naraku was handily defeated and dead. She handed him the complete jewel with deep sadness, knowing her part in his life was over. He would look at her meaningfully, throw down the jewel and say he didn't need it anymore. All he needed, all he wanted was her. Kikyo, of course, would hear this, stab herself dramatically in the heart to try to punish him. Then, as the stolen souls all rushed from her body, she would fall to the ground, screaming "Inuyasha! I'm melting! I'm melting! . . . . " Together she and Inuyasha would walk over to the pile of ashes that was her remains. He would sigh in relief, and embrace her, saying how thankful he was that Kikyo was finally gone. Kagome would smile lovingly and offer to help him bury her and hold a ceremony to pray for her lost soul. He would look at her with love shining in his eyes, telling her how wonderful she was. . . .  
  
Kagome felt a rush of guilt. She blushed, ashamed at herself. 'NO DAMN IT, NO! You are like an alcoholic looking at a drink! Stop it now! No more cheesy fantasies about him! That part your sorry life is OVER. It's been over for a long, long time. Don't you dare start this again now! Keep your damn mind in the present and in reality!'  
  
'Okay,' she mentally complied to her own order. 'He's my friend, just my friend.'  
  
She repeated 'just my friend,' in her mind three more times to reconfirm and commit her resolve. She would not weaken. She would not make the same mistakes that had almost cost her the chance to fulfill her duty as protect tress of the jewel.  
  
*****************************************  
  
After waiting another twenty minutes and still hearing no sound from Inuyasha, Kagome decided to try to check on him. She slipped out of the covers and, as stealthily as possible, moved across the room to where he lay sleeping. Kagome peered down at him. He was on lying on his back, his eyes closed. Taking this as a good sign, she gently lowered herself to her knees and watched his chest rising and falling, looking for signs of trouble or raspy breathing. So far so good. Only one thing remained to check, his temperature. She knew his core body temperature was higher than a human's, about 100 degrees. After snuggling freshly with Shippo, she thought she would be able to gauge fairly well if his temperature was higher than that.  
  
Slowly, she moved her hand to his forehead. She was moving so slow and being so careful, she was having trouble breathing. As lightly as she could, she rested her hand for just a second on his forehead. Cool by demon standards. "Thank God," Kagome thought, deeply relieved. She carefully moved her hand away, stood up, and stepped back away from him, very slowly. She breathed another sigh of relief when she reached her bedding. "I actually checked on him without waking him," Kagome thought happily.  
  
Across the room, Inuyasha opened his eyes and smiled.  
  
Kagome decided to check on him every two hours, just to make sure. She checked the glowing face of her watch for the time. She needed to check him again at three o' clock, but for now, she could rest. She wasn't tired, she had slept an entire day away, and she was still excited and tense from being back and the way she came back.  
  
Not that she slept as much these days anyway. She was used to be wakened at odd hours by Michael. There had been enough nights when he came to her door, and once he was sure Chloe was asleep, knock lightly. "Rise and shine, love, we've got work to do!" He was so perky, so annoyingly happy in the morning. No amount of complaining or threatening would get rid of him. "Get dressed, Kay, or I'll come in there and do it myself. Evil doesn't care about your beauty rest."  
  
Whenever he made her get up before the sun, he always made it up later. There were also days when he let her sleep in to noon, bringing her a four- course breakfast in bed complete with a red rose. She smiled, remembering those mornings. 'It hasn't been all bad, the last couple months,' she thought.  
  
Twice more Kagome repeated her procedure for checking on Inuyasha. She almost couldn't believe her luck that he had slept through the night and she was able to do this without waking him. 'I think he needs to sleep on the ground more often,' she thought.  
  
Rest was the important thing for him now, and, feeling fairly certain he was out of danger, she could relax a little. It was five o'clock. Time to get up and get going.  
  
Pushing the red light on her watch, Kagome located the clothes she had laid out earlier. She got back under the covers with Shippo and sat up, undressing under a tent of blankets. Then she slipped on her biking shorts, sports bra and tank, warm-up jacket, and socks. It was a difficult maneuver to get dressed fully under covers, but with Miroku across the room from her in the one-room hut, it was her only option. Getting out of the blankets again, she quickly tied her hair back with a scrunchie and used her red beam to locate her MP3 and earphones from her duffle bag. She was afraid her running shoes might make noise on the floor and so slipped them off and carried them. Kagome moved quietly, and, making no more sound than a small ruffle, slipped out the door.  
  
She went a fair distance away from Kaede's compound. The air was chilly, but there was only a slight breeze. She looked up in the darkness. The stars were astonishing, the Pleiades constellation loomed so close, she felt she could almost touch it. She had forgotten this about Inuyasha's time, how much larger and closer the sky seemed, the brilliance of hundreds of stars. She felt a sense of peace and something else–somehow the very earth and sky themselves seemed more alive in this time. Kagome stood in silent reverence for several minutes, just taking it in.  
  
After a thirty-minute warm up set to the music of Enya, the first signs of lightening were beginning to appear on the horizon. Kagome unzipped her jacket and tossed it down, selected U2's first three songs from the Joshua Tree album to start her off and began running.  
  
Inside the hut, Inuyasha opened his eyes, blinked and stretched on his bedding. Stretching and breathing in, he was still sore, but already feeling better after only a few hours. He hadn't realized he had actually dozed off. 'I must have fallen asleep after the last time Kagome came over,' he thought.  
  
The first time she had done it, he heard her get up and knew she was coming. He waited, wanting to see what she was up to. When she was at his side, he suddenly felt excited, a little nervous. He pretended to be asleep. Did she want to talk, or was it something else? He even imagined her bending over and kissing him, just like he kissed her early yesterday before jumping through the well. When she actually bent down, his heart started racing so hard, he didn't know if he could lie still any longer. He thought she was actually going to do it, to kiss him. Then she reached out so gently, so timidly, with her hand and laid it on his forehead. This was something he didn't expect, and he was very surprised by her tenderness. It wasn't a kiss, but it was still a show of affection. No one had touched him like that since '. . . .since my mother.'  
  
When she went back to her bedding he was both relieved and disappointed. He listened to her, knew by her breathing rhythm and sounds she was not asleep. Was she afraid to sleep, afraid of more nightmares? That must be it. She had surprised him by asking him to sleep near her, admitting she was afraid. 'That must be why she came over here, too. She's afraid, not wanting to be alone. She wanted comfort, but didn't want to wake me.' After a time, she repeated this act, quietly moving over to him, touching him for a sense of comfort, and going back to bed. He smiled thinking about her doing this. It was cute and sweet, almost child-like. He still didn't move, if she got brave enough to try to kiss him, he didn't want to do anything to stop her.  
  
It was after the third time that she repeated this, that he realized what was going on.  
  
'Shit! I've been had! She's not worried about bad dreams, she's worried about me. She's been checking me for a fever! Oh, that sneaky, little wench. She tricked me into staying here so she could play doctor. The next time she pulls this little routine, I'm going to doctor her!'  
  
He smiled dangerously. 'Okay Kagome, come on over. . . .your patient is waiting!' He waited for her to come back again, thinking about what he was going to do when she did. He was embarrassed that he had fantasized her wanting to be near him for comfort, even wanting to kiss him, and he was angry about it. She lied to him, damn it, and this time, he couldn't even tell she was doing it. 'Still. . . .' he thought, 'She's stayed awake all night just to check on you; she lied about why she wanted you here, it's true, but did she really do anything so wrong? She's showing her concern for you, doesn't that count?'  
  
'But,' he asked himself, 'Is she doing all this because she really cares about me or is she going to all this trouble because she feels guilty I got hurt?'  
  
He thought, he hoped he knew the answer to that, but he wanted to do something to find out. He waited patiently for her next little check-up. . . .  
  
It was some time after that he must have fallen asleep. He waited now for her to come again, listened for her– he heard nothing. He shot up, eyes scanning the bedding across the room. Only a small form lay sleeping on her bedding. Kagome was gone.  
  
Inuyasha stood and walked out the door quickly, frantically using his all his demon senses to find her. What the hell was she doing? His eyes picked up something lying in the grass. He ran over as quickly as he could move with his mending rib and picked it up. "Kagome's jacket." Her scent was fresh, still warm. Why did she come out at night alone? Why did she leave her jacket? He sniffed the jacket and the ground for any trace of her blood, any sign of trouble.  
  
Did she decide to go back to her own time? Is that why she left? Inuyasha felt dread as he raced toward the well. When he reached it, her smell and his were still coming from the well together, but that was all. She did not come back here, so she was still in this time. At that discovery, he let out a deep breath of relief and allowed himself to rest against the well's low wall.  
  
If she wasn't here, where was she? Why had she gone out at night? He thought about her out here somewhere, completely unprotected. The sun would be coming up soon, but that gave him almost no comfort.  
  
'She could be caught off-guard again, like she was with the cockroach. . . . Damn that girl! When I find her she's in so much trouble!'  
  
Inuyasha tested his abilities to jump and lunge. It still hurt, but he could do it now. He wasn't able to move as fast as he normally could, but he could move faster than he did on the ground. He returned back to the place where he found her jacket, stood very still, and sniffed the air for several minutes.  
  
'That way.'  
  
He jumped up and started moving, following her scent.  
  
The sky was lighter now, a dark purple-blue. Kagome was running at a good pace, her strides even and strong and her breathing steady. Her necklace bounced against her with the rhythm of her body, making her aware of the angel pendant with each footfall. She was warm from her exertion, even in the chilled air, and was glad for the comfort of her own sweat. She had gone about three miles now, and she smiled happily. She felt so free running in the wild beauty of the forest. Listening to her music, running to catch the sunrise, she felt exhilarated. She ran with her arms out, catching the wind, jubilant.  
  
Inuyasha was now over her, his eyes narrowed, watching her. She was dressed, he saw, in very little. Tight shorts that revealed the shape of her thighs and buttocks and a top that was so small more skin was exposed than covered.  
  
'Stupid wench! What the hell is she doing? She's going to catch-cold like that! Why is she out here anyway, running for no reason?'  
  
He watched her as she stretched her arms out, running. Even in the low light, he could see she was enjoying herself. 'She's acting liked a crazed idiot!'  
  
He heard the loud buzzing sounds that he recognized as music coming though earphones. Sota had been doing this too, listening to music too loud, right in his ears. 'You really are crazy, Kagome,' he thought shaking his head. He was following her. How long was she going to keep this up? 'I didn't know she could run this far,' he realized, and was slightly impressed at her stamina. She had run far already. Too far, and he still didn't know why she was doing this.  
  
On the ground, Kagome saw she was approaching a river in the distance. The water caught the gathering light and reflected it back, subtle glints of pink and yellow lights on the horizon. The sky above was getting rosy with early dawn. She grinned hugely, as she listened to her last song for the run, "The Middle," by Jimmy Eat World. She picked up her pace. She knew from experience that she had hit her five-mile training mark. The river was like a god-send; nature's reward. As she approached, she pulled her earplugs and ripped the velcro strap holding the MP3 from her arm. She picked up speed and jumped into the river.  
  
Inuyasha was beyond shock. He was still following her, keeping a small distance behind her to watch for potential attackers. He watched her run toward the water, but was sure she would drop at its edge, having exhausted herself. When her run turned into a charge and then a jump, he watched, wide-eyed.  
  
'WHAT THE HELL!' Was she trying to kill herself? Scared and shocked by her recklessness, the hanyou landed by the water's edge to look for her. She had not surfaced. His heart jumped into his throat, and his chest tightened in pain. 'Gods! What has she done to herself!' His panic was rising and he was about to jump in after her as her form broke the surface. She came up, breathing in deeply, letting it out with a bubbling, laughing, whoop.  
  
She let her body rise to the surface of the cold water and began to swim to shore. As she reached the edge, she was jerked out of the water, scooped up from above. She gasped with fright, and the spell activated.  
  
Inuyasha had her one second, and the next was repelled back with extreme force, landing on his back some twenty feet from her.  
  
His breath came out in a loud "Uumph!" as he landed painfully. Kagome stood up, soaking wet and completely chilled. Her heart was racing, and she frantically tried to figure out what the hell just happened to her. She blinked, and saw a crumpled, red figure slowly rise in the nearby grass.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she called running to him in alarm. "Inuyasha! Are you alright?" She was stunned to see him and realized that he must have followed her, but right now was alarmed.  
  
He grabbed her forcefully by the shoulders and yelled down at her.  
  
"What kind of a STUPID, CRAZY BITCH are you!!!" He demanded, shaking her and holding her tight. He was careful not to hurt her, but his grasp was firm. His eyes flashed with anger Kagome couldn't understand.  
  
"Inuyasha, stop please! What's wrong with you?!"  
  
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!! WITH ME?!  
NOTHING is wrong with me.  
It's YOU, you crazy, stupid–"  
  
She had enough of this and surprised him by deftly moving away from his grasp. She backed away, watching him warily.  
  
He was caught off-guard by her agility, and also angered. His eyes narrowed. 'Does she think she can get away from me? I'll teach her she can't get away so easily. . . .'  
  
"Inuyasha, you really scared me. I think you activated the spell again."  
  
"You THINK so? You think maybe that's why I was tossed back like a rag when I fuckin' touched you!!"  
  
"Inuyasha I'm sorry! Did I hurt you again?!" she said, rising alarm sounding in her voice.  
  
"I'm fine Kagome! The damn spell just threw be back into the grass this time, not through a wall."  
  
"Oh," she said, sounding like she was about to cry, "I don't want to hurt you, EVER! I wish I wasn't bound to Michael and under this spell."  
  
"Hhmph! I wish that too, believe me!"  
  
"Inuyasha, please--Just tell me why you're here," she said.  
  
"Why I'm here?" he said, his anger flaring fresh. "I came to see what the hell happened to you, crazy bitch!"  
  
She didn't want to cry, but she could feel hot tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. Her mouth and body tightened. His anger and his words were hurting her. She hadn't done anything wrong. Why was he being this way?  
  
'Maybe he's got a fever, maybe that's what was making him act this way. . .' she thought, frowning.  
  
Slowly, she approached him. "Inuyasha," she said in a calm, low voice, "I've been running. I do this every morning."  
  
He looked at her, blinking. "You do this EVERY morning?" he asked disbelieving. "For hell's sake, why?!"  
  
"It's part of my training," she said , sounding as if she was trying to calm a child having a temper-tantrum. "Michael and I run together. It's to build strength and endurance. People run like this for exercise and--"  
  
"He has you do this?! Does that fuck also make you jump into ice water every day too?!"  
  
"No," she said, still calm and actually smiling a little. "The swim was my idea."  
  
"A swim? You are crazy!"  
  
"I'm not crazy!" she said, sounding defensive and wrapping her arms around herself. "I was hot from the run. The water cooled me down."  
  
"Your not cool, your frozen Kagome!" he said, looking down at her.  
  
Her wet hair was still dripping on her bare shoulders, her skin was goose- fleshed and dusty blue, and her clothes clung tightly to her skin. Before she wrapped her arms around herself, his eyes took in how her wet shirt revealed every contour of her breasts and her small, hardened nipples. Even shivering and wet, she was enticing. He wanted to hold her close. He wanted to throttle her. He was angered and excited by her, and his conflicting impulses were driving him crazy.  
  
"Here, wench!" he said, taking off his rat-fur coat and wrapping it around her. As he did this, she decided to test his skin for fever, hoping that in her own chilled state she would still be able to detect it. Her hand reached up to his forehead, but as she did, his own hand quickly wrapped around her fingers, freezing her hand in mid-air. She gasped in surprise.  
  
His eyes flashing, he gave her a menacing look. "Not this time, Kagome. I know what you've been up to."  
  
If she weren't so cold, she would been violently blushing. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in her heartbeat. "Inuyasha," she said weakly, looking down, I'm sorry. I thought you were asleep. I. . .I didn't mean to anger you. I was just worried."  
  
"You tricked me into sleeping inside. You lied about the reason why you wanted me to stay," he said, still holding her hand.  
  
"Yes. I tricked you, and I'm sorry." I won't do anything like that again," she said. "Even if you think it's for the right reasons, it's still wrong." She was looking down at her chest, at Michael's necklace, and feeling miserable. He was right to be angry.  
  
"Kagome, he said, softening somewhat, "What you did was wrong, but it's not the same as what Michael did. I'll forgive you for this, but you have to promise me something."  
  
"What do you want?" she asked looking at up him with tears in her eyes. Her color was a little better and she wasn't shivering anymore thanks to the warmth of his coat.  
  
His eyes held hers in a steady gaze. His voice was low, commanding. "I don't want you to lie to me anymore. EVER. I mean it. If I ask you something, you have to tell me the truth, whatever it is."  
  
She nodded gravely, meeting his eyes, drowning in them. "I won't lie to you Inuyasha." She felt like he was looking right through her, to her very soul. As she made this promise, she knew she would honor it, just as surely as she knew she still loved him, and would honor the promise she made to help him see the quest through, no matter what.  
  
"I want to know why you were worried about me." He said, his eyes still locked on hers.  
  
"Why?" she furrowed her brows. "Inuyasha I was worried because you were hurt. You wouldn't let me see how bad it was. Demon or not, a broken rib can still be a very serious—"  
  
"Kagome, that's not what I meant," he interrupted. She looked completely baffled. "I'm not asking why my injuries might be serious. I want to know why YOU were so worried that you would lie to me."  
  
She cast her eyes down, realizing what he was asking. She thought for a moment and then looked back up at him, answering honestly, as completely as she could: "I felt terrible that I hurt you. I never want to hurt you again. You are my friend and I really care about you, Inuyasha."  
  
'Please! Please don't ask me any more!' Her mind was pleading. 'If you ask me now exactly how much I care, I'll tell you. . . .I don't want to, but I will.'  
  
His eyes were locked on hers. He listened to her words, sensed her emotions. He released her trapped hand, but instead of backing away, moved closer. He put his hand gently on her cheek, willing her not to look away. "You are my friend, too," he said. He brought his mouth back to hers for a kiss. Her breath caught in her throat, again surprised by the sudden sensation, the quicksilver change in his mood. He kissed her longer than before, allowing his lips to linger, to enjoy the taste of her. He felt her surprised response, her undeniable excitement. He pulled back, leaving her stunned.  
  
His lips were so soft, so sensuous. The sensation was incredible, her own responses to him shocking to her. How could he do this to her so quickly-- turn her brain to jelly and make her tingle with heat from her chest through her fingertips?  
  
"Inuyasha," she said, trying to recover, "Thank you for forgiving me." She smiled self-consciously, still not in control of her rushing emotions. She wanted to say something else, but what could she say? 'Thank you for the incredible kiss. I know you're just my friend, but that was the hottest kiss I've ever had.'  
  
No, she definitely couldn't say THAT. She would be okay, as long as he didn't ask her what she thought of the kiss, what she felt for him now.  
  
Inuyasha nodded, indicating a 'your welcome.' "From now on," he said, "I will go with you."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Wherever you run, when you exercise."  
  
"Inuyasha, that's not necessary," she said. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to come looking for me today, but I've been doing this for awhile and I don't mind being alone."  
  
"Don't argue with me, Kagome," he answered firmly. "I'm coming with you. Everywhere you go, I'll go."  
  
A part of her wanted to argue about this, but a larger part, the part that like Inuyasha's attention and craved more of it, won. She remained silent and nodded in assent.  
  
The independent feminist in her knew that she shouldn't be letting him take control of her like this, he was being overbearing, treating her like a child. At the same time, she loved being with him, loved feeling protected by him.  
  
'Just like the way Michael takes care of you. You really just want some man to do that, take care of you.' She blushed at her own thoughts.  
  
'No, this is not the same as it is with Michael. Michael is my protector and my friend. Inuyasha is— He's WHAT? How is this different? Is there still some tiny part of you that thinks after all this time, he could still be any more to you?'  
  
In her mind, she knew the answer. It was her heart that kept trying to lead her. 'I don't know how many more 'friendship kisses' I can handle before I loose control and make a fool of myself.'  
  
*********************************  
  
Kagome picked up her MP3 player and headphones and walked back with him, feeling ridiculous trudging beside him in his heavy coat and her own wet shoes. She wanted to think about something else, something uncomplicated and happy.  
  
"You know what, Inuyasha?" "Hmm?" he voiced.  
  
"I forgot how much I liked being in your time. It's so beautiful here. When I run at home it's on sidewalks and through parks bordered with fences. It's so open here, so free. I think if I had my music with me, I could be happy here forever."  
  
She said this smiling, unselfconscious about how it might sound. She was too absorbed with what her senses were taking in to worry about it. She loved the beauty, the fresh air, everything. This had been the most enjoyable run she had ever had.  
  
He stopped and circled round in front of her, blocking her. "Do you mean that Kagome?" He asked. "What you just said?"  
  
She could tell by his expression and the way he was looking at her that he was serious. This was a real question, a 'don't-lie-to-me' question.  
  
'Damn! Why is asking me this?'  
  
"Do you mean, if everything was different, if it were possible to change reality, would I want to stay here forever?" she asked, both teasing and incredulous.  
  
"Yes. If it were possible, would you want to stay?"  
  
"Well. . . .Yes, I meant it. I love it here. Who knows, maybe in an alternate world, and in an alternate life, I'm living here right now!" she said playfully. 'Maybe I'm here sharing my life with you,' her mind added.  
  
They walked the rest of the way back to Kaede's in silence, Kagome enjoying the sights of the woods and meadows on her first real day back and Inuyasha enjoying his thoughts.  
  
He was happy, happier than he would have imagined when he woke up. He had been angry with Kagome for lying to him and scared when she left, but now he felt like everything was going the way he wanted it to. Kagome wasn't going to lie to him anymore. She told him she the truth about how she felt--she really cared about him. His heart racing with this information, he kissed her again, and this time he was left with no doubt about how she responded to him. And now he knew if he could find a way for her to stay, she would.  
  
'I don't know how to make it happen," he thought, "but I will find a way. Kagome will be mine.' 


	17. Target Practice

Author's Note: I want to thank Lady Banshee 999 who alerted me to the fact that this chapter was some how "unposted?" It was up last time I checked, but I guess didn't stay up, so I'm trying again!  
  
_________________________________________ Chapter 17 Target Practice  
  
When Inuyasha and Kagome came through the clearing, they saw Kaede first. She was stoking a fire for the morning meal. Kagome took off Inuyasha's coat and spread it out on the bench to dry. Kaede sent Inuyasha to fetch water for cooking, and, while he was gone, Kagome stood by the fire, her wet clothes clinging to her, her shoes squishing with water as she walked.  
  
Kaede looked at her, her eyebrows raised at the strange condition of the young woman's appearance. She was used to Kagome being a little odd, but dripping wet in garments that she could hardly call decent, was the strangest.  
  
"Child, you need to change into something dry before you catch cold!"  
  
Kagome liked the way she felt standing by the fire in her wet clothes. She felt hot and cold at the same time. She wanted to explain to Kaede that being chilled had nothing to do with getting a viral infection, but realized there was no easy way to make her understand or believe her. Besides, Kaede's folk medicine and folk wisdom worked surprisingly well. There were reasons, she realized, for these beliefs. Most folk healing practices didn't cause harm, some were actually preventative, and many truly worked. It finally didn't matter if it was because of the power of the practice, the power of belief, or both.  
  
She loved and respected this woman who had taken her in, taken care of her, and taught her so many important lessons, even though she was a constant and painful reminder of her sister's death. She appreciated that Kaede never asked her about her feelings for Inuyasha, although she was sure Kaede suspected the truth. As Kikyo's incarnate, it was probably inevitable that her soul would be drawn to him. Perhaps like Kikyo, she couldn't help the fact that she loved him. If she thought it, Kaede never spoke of any of it. Their relationship was warm, congenial, but never ventured into the realm of the private. Perhaps it was best this way.  
  
"Yes Kaede," she said. "I'll go change now."  
  
She entered the small hut beside Kaede's and found Miroku and Sango dressed and busy packing. Shippo was going through her duffle bag, looking for more chocolate.  
  
"Ah-ah-ah Shippo! No you don't. You can't have any candy before breakfast!" Kagome said from the doorway. Shippo jumped, startled, and Miroku and Sango looked up in surprise.  
  
"Kagome," Sango said. "I'm glad to see you. When I woke you and Inuyasha were gone. Is everything all right?"  
  
"Yes, Sango. Everything's fine. I'm sorry I worried you."  
  
"How is it that you're wet, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked, taking in her strange appearance.  
  
"Oh, it's a long story. Let's just say I got carried away and did something foolish."  
  
"I see. . . . And is it safe to presume that Inuyasha got carried away with you?" he asked grinning.  
  
"NO! IT'S NOT! You're not safe presuming anything, you damn dirty-minded monk!" Inuyasha's voice came booming from behind Kagome. He was standing outside, but could hear every word.  
  
"Miroku, I need to change into some dry clothes. Will you go outside for a few minutes please?" Kagome said as she walked over to her things and Shippo  
  
"Certainly Lady Kagome. By every aspect of your appearance I can tell you are quite cold." he replied.  
  
She turned to look at him. There was nothing wrong with his answer now. It was polite, even kind. It almost worked. What tipped her off was the 'every aspect' comment. She realized as she looked at him, his eyes were fixed on her chest. 'SHIT!' She spun around, looking for something to punish him with. She quickly spotted what she was looking for. She walked slowly over to the bow and quiver of arrows Shippo had given her the night before.  
  
"Miroku" she said casually. "I need to get in some target practice today. It's been a very long time since I used a bow." She picked up the bow and one arrow. "In fact, I think I'll start practicing HERE," she said. She rounded quickly to face him. She aimed the loaded bow at his head, and then slowly lowered it to his groin, where she held it steady. She pulled the arrow back just enough to make the string whine in tension.  
  
He backed against the wall, wide-eyed and white.  
  
"Uhmm, Kagome?" Sango asked in alarm.  
  
"It's okay Sango. I won't let go until I'm ready." she answered. "I suggest you leave now, Miroku," she said pleasantly, turning her attention back to him... "I don't know how good my aim is. . . . maybe I'll hit, maybe I'll miss. Tell me, do you feel lucky, monk?"  
  
Kagome smiled. She was having fun now.  
  
"La. . . .la. . . lady Kagome! I'm leaving. Please. Put the bow down. You don't want to do anything rash!"  
  
"That's just it Miroku," she said smiling, "I think I do." She pulled the arrow just enough to produce another whine from the string.  
  
Miroku ran for the door with his life. Once he was gone Kagome unsheathed the arrow and dropped the bow, laughing.  
  
Sango stared at her in disbelief. "Kagome, you wouldn't really shoot him, would you?"  
  
"No, Sango," she said trying to reassure her shaken friend.  
  
Sango had no qualms about punishing the monk when he misbehaved. Beatings, punches, and even a sharp blow to the head were often justified, but she didn't want him killed. "I just wanted to try shock therapy on him."  
  
Sango stared at her, uncomprehending.  
  
"What Miroku needs is a behavior-modification program, Sango. We can talk about it later if you want. I think I have some ideas about how to change his lecherous behavior."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes," she said, looking at Sango meaningfully, "really. But it will depend a lot on you to condition him."  
  
"Me?" she asked, dumbfounded.  
  
"I think you're the only one who can. Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Sango grinned. "It feels like you've grown up over-night, but I'm very glad your back."  
  
"Me too Sango," Kagome answered, smiling warmly.  
  
******************************************  
  
Outside, Miroku walked over to Inuyasha, who was listening. He didn't know exactly what Miroku had done, but he had a pretty good idea.  
  
"Inuyasha, I need to speak with you about Lady Kagome," Miroku began.  
  
Inuyasha didn't look at him; he didn't respond.  
  
"I'm afraid she's changed in some most unsettling ways. Her behavior is—"  
  
"Amazing." Inuyasha answered flatly.  
  
"Yes," Miroku began. "Her aggressive nature now is truly amazing, you're right."  
  
"NO. . . . " Inuyasha said with anger flaring. He grabbed Miroku by the robes and lifted him off the ground. "I meant was her self-control was amazing! If I ever see you look at Kagome in that way again, I'll do worse than shoot an arrow through you, understand me?!"  
  
Miroku nodded silently.  
  
Inuyasha dropped him and walked away. Yes, he thought, smiling, Kagome's changed. He saw first-hand what she was capable of earlier with Brad, and now with Miroku. She was a lot bolder, and yes, more aggressive. His smile grew. It pleased him that she could handle herself. He liked the old Kagome. He loved the new one.  
  
**************************************  
  
Kagome stood in the meadow, looking back some 100 yards to the trees. The paper targets were in position, her quiver full of fresh arrows. She wasn't joking when she told Miroku it had been a long time. She knew she was going to be rusty, but just how much so she didn't know yet.  
  
This training wasn't optional. The purifying arrows often helped in battles. Sometimes they made the difference. If she was going to be part of the team again, she needed to re-hone her skills.  
  
Sango, Shippo and Kaede had assembled behind her, wanting to watch and give her support. Miroku had stayed back at Kaede's, nervously explaining that he wanted to spend some time trying to work with the protection amulet Kagome had given him.  
  
Inuyasha had taken off, disappeared without telling anyone where he was going. Kagome realized that when she was younger, his sudden disappearance would have her fuming, turning green with jealousy. She wondered now, 'Has he gone to see Kikyo, to tell her I'm back and the quest continues?'  
  
She felt good, even a little proud, that the thought of them together no longer destroyed her. She accepted it, even embraced it–well, almost. She didn't know if demons had weddings, but, she thought, 'If they do, I want to be at his. I want to dance with him just once, to congratulate them both. If I could see him happy, I could let him go.' The thought was bittersweet, but she had accepted it years ago.  
  
**********************************  
  
Inuyasha had gone searching for Myoga, intent on first finding his tiny retainer, giving him a good squish for staying absent so long, and then asking him some advice. He had made his intentions with Kagome clear, but he wasn't sure how to proceed.  
  
'What happens first, marking or mating?' He wondered. He thought about just letting his intuition guide him, but he wanted to leave nothing to chance; he wanted there to be no doubt who Kagome belonged to.  
  
Things were already settled regarding their feelings. Kagome had admitted she cared for him now and told him that she fell in love with him before she left. He was certain about her physical responses to him too. The last kiss proved it.  
  
He didn't want to wait much longer to make it official, not with Michael waiting for her, not with what he was capable of. Inuyasha knew she cared for him, but how did she feel about her angel protector? He remembered her response to him when he told her he loved her. He told her, as Inuyasha had once told Kikyo, that he would become human to be with her. The look in her eyes revealed enough. Before her memories were taken, she had responded to him, been excited. The possibility of Michael as her mate had obviously not occurred to her before, but she didn't look like she would say no. Her human man was nothing, a mere annoyance. The ring that she wore was no real sign of commitment, but his mark would be. He smiled thinking about returning to her time, fully marked and mated, and seeing Michael again. 'Oh, it would be so nice to wipe the smug smile off that bastard's face!' he thought. 'He'll see soon enough whose woman she is!'  
  
There was only one remaining complication, one problem he had to solve: Kikyo. He had promised her they would be together, had promised her his very life. He had a duty to her. Even though his feelings for Kagome had blossomed, he still cared for Kikyo too, the guilt and grief of her death was still a weight on his soul. He frowned thinking about this. He knew he wanted to give himself fully to Kagome as much as he knew he owed himself to Kikyo.  
  
Was there some way he could make things right with Kikyo, help her find peace without relinquishing his soul to her? Could she settle for less? The Kikyo he once knew was loving, generous, forgiving. He didn't think she would want him committed to her when his feelings for her were less than complete. How could he ever completely love her while he loved Kagome? The living Kikyo would have understood, she would have released him from his promise. What about the Kikyo he knew now, the half-living miko who lived by feeding on the souls of others? Would she be so understanding? He hoped it was possible.  
  
After mating with Kagome, he would explain this to her, maybe even be able to help him find peace for Kikyo. After all, who could understand Kikyo better than the young woman who shared her soul?  
  
Myoga would know what to do. But how long would it take to find the irritating coward? He knew of only one other who could give him answers, his brother. He wasn't about to go looking for him or asking him advice. The last time they had met ended like all the others: a fight, death threats, Sessshomaru leaving, promising revenge. Inuyasha knew the arrogant fuck regarded him as nothing more than halfling filth, the product of his father's shameful indulgence. It didn't make him angry anymore or even sad. He accepted the truth for what it was. Sesshomaru carried his father's blood just as he did, but they were not brothers.  
  
No, the flea would be found. . . .He knew that if he wanted to find him, he would. Somehow, when he really needed him, Myoga did manage to turn up. He didn't question this connection with his retainer too much, it was the only thing that kept him from squishing the life out of him. He was thinking this as a familiar sound came to his ears. Myoga had jumped down from one of his hiding places. He was on Inuyasha's neck, sucking his blood.  
  
**************************************  
  
Target practice was not going well. She had already gone through half of a quiver, and most of her arrows lay strewn among the trees and grass, some far over-shot, others falling far short. The three that actually landed in the tree with the target were stuck at odd places; one at the base, one lodged in a thick branch, one up so high in the trunk it disappeared among the leaves.  
  
Kagome heaved a deep sigh. "Perhaps I should go bring more arrows," Kaede said, trying to be helpful. It will come back to you, child, just give it time."  
  
Kagome gave her a defeated smile and nodded. As Kaede left, Shippo tried to give her some encouragement. "Three out of twenty isn't so bad, Kagome."  
  
"Shippo I didn't land one on the target."  
  
"Well, at least they hit the tree!"  
  
"Perhaps you should move closer," Sango suggested.  
  
She tried from fifty yards. The results were worse, the remaining arrows in her quiver were spent, all lost among the forest floor. Thirty minutes later, Kaede returned with a second set of forty arrows, surveying her progress while she was away.  
  
"Perhaps you should take a break. You are probably still tired," Kaede said, gently.  
  
"No. . . . I'm not tired in the least. The problem is, I STINK!!  
  
Shippo laughed, good-naturedly. "I think you smell nice!"  
  
"Oh Shippo, she said, putting her head in her hand and shaking it, thank you. What I meant to say is I SUCK!"  
  
Sango wasn't sure what she meant, but she had never seen Kagome shoot so poorly. 'If she goes with us shooting like this, she won't be able to protect herself at all,' she thought frowning. 'I'll protect her as much as I can, and I know Inuyasha will too, but it would help if she could shoot.' "Kagome, by the time we saw you last, you were a really good markswoman. I don't doubt you will be again, but perhaps Kaede is right, perhaps it's time for a –"  
  
"NO! Sango!" she said, more forcefully than she meant to. "Oh Sango, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap! Can you forgive me?"  
  
Sango looked at her with understanding. "Of course Kagome. I'm sorry I upset you."  
  
"You didn't. I'm frustrated, but it's not your fault. I'm not ready to quit yet and I think I need some time alone, if you guys don't mind."  
  
Sango nodded. "Of course. Come on Shippo. Let's let Kagome have some practice time on her own."  
  
The kitsune didn't want to leave her. "Can't I stay. Pleeease?! I won't make you mad, I promise. I love you even if you suck!"  
  
Kagome laughed. "I love you too, but I want you to go with Sango for now. I'll see you in just a little while, okay?"  
  
"Okay," he said, hanging his head to show her he felt dejected.  
  
"Good luck," Kaede said. "We'll make some lunch and save some food for you child."  
  
"That's okay, Kaede. I have a protein bar with me. I'll be fine."  
  
The three said their goodbyes and left her alone. Now that they were gone, she wasn't so sure she wanted to be alone after all. She stood looking down at the bow and quiver. 'Maybe I need to start thinking about other creative use for this thing,' she thought with disgust. 'I could use the arrows as tent stakes. . . . maybe the bow in a rhythm combo. . . .' She sighed heavily and looked back to the empty target.  
  
'Okay. Time to get back to work,' she told herself.  
  
****************************  
  
Inuyasha had returned from his talk with Myoga, confident and happy. His rib was almost completely healed, and he was preoccupied with thoughts of being alone with Kagome. 'Maybe tonight,' he thought smiling 'I will make her mine.'  
  
Back at Kaede's he heard his human friends and Shippo talking, Kagome was having problems at target practice. Hearing how badly she was doing, he frowned. 'Even when she first came, she could shoot. Well, I now that I think about it, it was her poor shooting that caused all of this in the first place. But. . . .' his mind continued, 'What if she had shot the demon bird and not broken the jewel? Would you really want to change that now?'  
  
No, things happened for a reason, that he was sure of. Now he was going to be with Kagome, have her as is mate, and this must be what was meant to happen. Thinking about this, he felt surer than he ever had about the rest of it.  
  
'We won't fail. Naraku will be defeated and then. . . . and then we'll see, just knowing that we will succeed for now is enough. Even if I can't see it, it will work out. Just like with Kagome–when she left I didn't know if I could get her back. Now she's here, changed with time, and she made me change--admitting how I feel about her, how I've felt for a long time. . . .Yes, in time, everything will happen as it should, as it is meant to.'  
  
He made his way quickly through the air to the small clearing where Kagome's solitary, tense figure stood, looking down at her quiver. He sat in a tree behind her, watching her, surveying the results of her spent arrows. 'Oh, they weren't kidding. I've seen her miss before, but now, I don't think she shoot a turtle, let alone a demon.' He frowned, trying to see what she was doing wrong. He watched her as she re-loaded the bow. Her aim was off, erratic, her firing too slow or too fast, and her movements were awkward. 'I know she can do this,' he thought, puzzling the problem. 'I think she's just forgotten that she can do this without trying. That's what it is!' He remembered back to her argument with Michael after she attacked Brad with her miko power; thinking back to what he had said to her about anger, about focus. He grimaced. He had an idea of how to help her, but he sure as hell didn't like it. 'I hope this helps her,' he thought, not relishing the thought of what he was about to do.  
  
************************************************  
  
Twenty spent arrows later, two more were sticking in the tree, but not remotely close to the target. she was ready to scream.  
  
"WHY THE HELL CAN'T I DO THIS?!!!"  
  
"Ha! You're just trying too hard."  
  
The voice came from behind her. She turned round and looked up. He was sitting cross-legged in a tree. She had no idea how long he had been there watching, or even when he came back from wherever he had disappeared to. She felt herself redden with embarrassment. 'Great! Why don't I just send him up a tub of popcorn and tell him to enjoy the show.'  
  
"Hello Inuyasha," she said flatly. "Why are you here?"  
  
"That's obvious, idiot! I came to help. Like I said, you're tryin' too hard."  
  
"Inuyasha– I have to try! I'm not just giving up! I know I'm terrible, but I'll get better. I just need to warm up, find the zone, and keep shooting," she said, getting annoyed.  
  
"Hmph! I don't know what you mean by 'warm' or 'zone', but you've gone through a lot of arrows. More of this kind of shooting isn't going to help."  
  
She heaved a sigh. "You're right," she said feeling defeated. "I know was never a great shot, but I wasn't this bad." She turned back around and picked up her bow.  
  
"Don't feel too bad Kagome. You never were as good as Kikyo," he said tauntingly.  
  
She bristled. Her hands clenched in tight fists. Jolted by his sudden cheap shot, her anger flared. Through clenched teeth she thought, 'It's one thing to accept that he chose her, but having him throw her in my face is another!' She exhaled deeply, took out an arrow and started to load it.  
  
"Hey, did you hear me?!" he called down.  
  
Oh, she was furious. YES INUYASHA! I heard you damn it! I was never as good as Kikyo and now I'm not as good as a blind man! I get it! So will you just leave me the hell alone already!"  
  
"I meant it about trying too hard. You need to relax."  
  
"INUYASHA," she said threateningly, "if you don't leave me alone right now, I swear I'll–"  
  
"You need to relax and FOCUS Kagome. Focus your energy now."  
  
'You want me to focus! I'll show you focus, you ass!' She thought. She closed her eyes, and tightened her right hand into a fist so hard her fingernails drew blood. She let the anger course through her, finding it's way to her power. She opened her eyes and her pupils changed from black to an almost white, light blue for a split second as an aura of pure energy pooled around her. She loaded the bow, focused on the target, and released with precision. She did this again, and again, and again, allowing her energy to take over to control her. After loading and releasing five arrows in rapid succession, she let the bow drop to the ground. Slowly, she walked toward the target.  
  
Smoke was coming from the tree and there was the smell of burning wood. Where the target had been there was now a large, blackened hole. The arrow points were embedded deep into the tree's core, one on top of the next, in the same spot. The force of the impact had broken off all but the last of the shafts. She stood still for a moment, examining the target's devastated center. She grabbed the shaft of her final arrow, still warm from the speed of it's acceleration, and pulled it out in her right hand. The shaft came out, but the tip broke off, remaining stubbornly in the tree.  
  
"DAMN!" Inuyasha said, directly behind her. She whirled round, her eyes were glittering with anger. She held the shaft above her in her hand like a stake, aimed directly at his chest. It was only his demon reflexes that saved him from an attack. He grabbed her wrist, suspending her arm in mid-air. "Kagome! Do you really want to hurt me?" he said, his eyes looking straight into hers. She blinked in dawning realization of her actions, what she had done, what she almost did now.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said as the rush of angry energy drained away, "I'm–so sorry. I don't want to hurt you, I never want to do that!" she looked horrified, realizing what she was holding in her hand and what she had intended to do with it only seconds before.  
  
"Ssh, Kagome! It's all right," he said, releasing her hand and allowing her to bring it down. "I wasn't about to let you stab me with that thing, you know! I know you're not in total control when your using your energy like that, you told me."  
  
She dropped the shaft. She looked down at the ground, tears of shame and recrimination burning her eyes. "Inuyasha," she whispered hoarsely, "this is bad, really bad."  
  
He grabbed her by the arms, forcing her to look up. "What the hell are you talking about?! Did you see your shooting, woman? I've never seen anything like that before. It was damn–"  
  
"Scary," she finished. "I keep losing control to anger. I'm going to do something terrible if I keep using my power to indulge my feelings."  
  
"No. I was going to say impressive. That was damn impressive. See what you can do when you focus those energies of yours, woman?"  
  
"I was angry!" she said through tears, "that's the only reason I could–"  
  
"Try again," he said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Try again, now."  
  
She looked taken aback. She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, about to argue that she couldn't do it.  
  
Inuyasha commanded, "Now Kagome!"  
  
She picked up her bow and placed an arrow in her hand. She stepped back to where she was standing before, 100 yards back. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, released it, loaded and fired. The released arrow sped straight ahead, burying its tip in the center of the black target remains.  
  
She looked at the target and gasped in surprise. Inuyasha stood beside her, arms crossed, wearing a satisfied expression. Kagome looked at him wide-eyed, beginning to comprehend. "You were trying to help me before, weren't you? . . . You were trying to guide my focus, just like Michael."  
  
He nodded and lowered his head so that his hair hung in front of his eyes. "I wanted to remind you of what you can do when you stop trying and just let it happen." 'Just like Michael,' he thought bitterly.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she said, bending down playfully to meet his eyes. She was smiling at him, trying to coax him into lifting his head.  
  
"Hmph!" he growled to cover his feelings. He hated what he did. Comparing her to Kikyo was cruel, and he didn't want to do anything that could push her away now. But trying to decide what HE would do to help her if he were here, trying to say what that damn angel would say really goaded him. The worst of it was how well it worked.  
  
"Inuyasha thank you for wanting to help me, for knowing what to do!" She looked at him happily, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
Then she gazed past him, frowning.  
  
What was it with her? How could this woman go from intending to kill him, to kissing him, to looking sad so quickly?  
  
"Oh, what is it now?" he asked her.  
  
"I'm trying to remember something Michael said to me before we left–something about separating the anger from the energy–"  
  
He nodded, "That's right. He said you needed to not let your emotions control your energy. You needed to let the energy flow over your emotions, not through them."  
  
Her brow furrowed, thinking about this. "I was able to shoot because you made me angry. I know why you did it, but at the time, I was just really angry. That's what gave me the focus, the anger."  
  
He nodded in agreement. What she was saying now was true. He had seen how if she was angry enough, she could use her energy. He had seen that even when she was much younger.  
  
Inuyasha," she said apprehensively, "Michael's right. I can't let that happen again. It's too dangerous, and I don't have the same control when I'm channeling the energy through my emotions.  
  
Michael's teaching me how to focus past my emotions. It's how I help him fight, I use my energy to focus on the innocents, to give them a link back. I can't do that if I'm afraid or angry, but the trouble is I haven't learned how to stop the emotions from taking over sometimes."  
  
Inuyasha was intrigued. He wanted to understand just what this 'spirit fighting' was. He wanted to understand how she helped him and why the hell she something that sounded so dangerous in the first place.  
  
"But–she continued, everything's different here. The fighting is completely different. I need to use arrows again. I need to get past the feelings without Michael. I , I don't know if I can do that."  
  
Inuyasha was not happy to hear this. 'Shit! Does she depend on him now for everything?!' "Kagome," he said with an unhappy sigh, "You were always able to do what was needed before you left. You didn't need Michael then and you don't need him now. He may have helped you understand how your powers work, but he doesn't control you."  
  
She looked at him and took his words with a stunned expression. She saw the weary look in his beautiful orange eyes. He had been trying to help her, to make her understand that he didn't doubt her abilities, it was only her own doubts that were holding her back. He was the one, the only one, who could make her feel this way again, make her believe in herself.  
  
She smiled at him with gratitude. "Inuyasha, you're right. I've been so afraid of making mistakes that I forgot why I came through the well in the first place. I need to believe I can do this, and you've made me feel again like I can. You're the best friend I've ever had!" She reached her arms up around his neck and hugged him.  
  
'Now this is more like it!' he thought with surprise. He smiled into her silky hair and encircled her waist with his arms. When she tried to pull away, she was dismayed that he was still holding her, refusing to let go.  
  
"Um, Inuyasha--let's go back. Kaede and Miroku were talking about some kind of a plant demon and it's still early enough in the day to get something done. Are you feeling up to traveling?"  
  
He snorted, "I'm fine. I've never known you to be the one pushing to get going though. You're usually trying to get me to go off on some kind of a picnic and waste the day."  
  
She blushed at the memory. 'Oh God! I did used to do that! Could I have been any more transparent?!' She laughed, trying to recover. "Don't worry! I haven't wanted to go on a picnic for years—'since I was with you. . . ' she added mentally, "and I don't think we should waste time when there's so much to do, so. . . . "  
  
She tried to pull away, but he was still holding her in place.  
  
"We can go after you kiss me," he said plainly.  
  
"Kiss you?" she said, pulling her head back away from his neck to look him in the eyes again.  
  
"That's right. We'll go after you kiss me."  
  
She shook her head and smiled in surprise. She had never known the hanyou to be playful, but apparently he was in some kind of mood. She decided to play along, stood up on her toes, and pecked him on the cheek.  
  
"There," she said smiling, "let's go!" She tried to pull away again, but he still held her waist fast.  
  
"What now?" she said in mock exasperation.  
  
"Not on my face. My mouth."  
  
Her heart rate reacted before her brain, racing ahead of her thoughts. 'He wants me to really kiss him? Oh God! I don't think I can handle Inuyasha flirting! Why, for heaven's sake, is he doing this?'  
  
"I'm waiting Kagome," he said with a level voice, although he was trying hard not to grin in delight at what was happening to her. She was flushed, flustered, and her heart rate told him everything else. She was pressed against him, her smell, her body heat, and the knowledge of what he was doing to her was exciting him.  
  
"Okay–"she said, struggling to sound calm, "A kiss for my freedom then." She leaned into him and softly, ever so lightly, brought her lips to his. She kissed him tentatively, allowing her mouth to linger close to his only a second beyond the moment. It was chaste and formal. The only thing that belied her cool composure was her darting heart.  
  
She lowered her head, waiting with shyness for his response.  
  
'Not bad for the first time,' he thought. He thought about kissing her back, making the kiss long and deep, but decided to allow himself to enjoy the experience of a first kiss from her instead. This was the way he had imagined her kissing him last night, the way he kissed her when she was sleeping and when she first awakened from her nightmare. 'Next time we kiss,' he thought with relish, 'it will be much longer and much more dangerous.'  
  
Without a word to her, he released her and walked away. She stood still for a moment, still looking down, trying to re-gain her composure. 'I'm going to have to talk to him--I'll tell him that as an engaged woman, this kind of adolescent behavior isn't proper, and I can't do it anymore--no more 'friendship kisses.' I know I'm going to sound like some kind of a prig, but I'm NOT doing this again. It's too, too hard–my feelings for him are too close to the surface to control when he's doing this to me. . . .'  
  
"Hey! Are you planning on wasting the entire day?" he called back.  
  
She gave a sigh. "men!" she said under her breath. She picked up her bow and quiver and jogged to catch up to him. They walked back to Kaede's without speaking, both exploring their own thoughts.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Back at Kaede's, Sango was helping the older woman husk some peas and Miroku was sitting on the wooden bench, examining the star-shaped protection amulet. Shippo saw Kagome and Inuyasha approaching and bounded through the clearing to meet them.  
  
"KAGOME! KAGOME! Look what I did while you were gone!" he cried. He was beaming, holding up a rolled piece of paper to her hands.  
  
"Why Shippo, let me see. . . ," she said smiling down at the boy. She took the paper and unrolled it, revealing Shippo's latest picture. It was a pencil drawing of Kagome standing in the meadow, arrows scattered around her, littering the ground. She was stomping her foot and had her mouth open, yelling.  
  
Kagome laughed. "It's very, very good Shippo! I looked just like that, didn't I?!"  
  
Inuyasha smirked "It's not nice to make fun of your elders, brat! She may be nice enough to get mad, but I'm not!" He grabbed the picture and ripped it in half, causing the kitsune to wail as if he were ripped in half as well.  
  
"AAArgh! Aarrgh! Kagome! He ruined it! He ruined it! You saw him!"  
  
"INUYASHA really! Kagome scolded. "He is just a small child. Why do you have to be so mean to him?"  
  
"ME? I'm not the one being mean! Why do you always take his side?–that stupid, little runt is the one who drew the picture making you look foolish, not me!"  
  
Her face grew red and she let out an angry breath. "Inuyasha. He is a child. He has an excuse and besides, he was just drawing what he honestly saw.. Being a grumpy half-demon is all you've got, so yeah, I guess I do side with him!"  
  
"Hhmmph! Fine wench! See if I care! You act like that damn kid is yours, the way you protect him, even when he deserves to be punished."  
  
Kagome smirked at him and picked up Shippo. "Come on sweetie. It's all right. Let's leave the grumpy old hanyou alone!" She turned from him, walking with Shippo in her arms to her friends. "Can you draw me another picture later?" she asked him. "Yes Kagome," nuzzling into her neck. "I'd love to. Do you want me to draw a grumpy Inuyasha?" She laughed again and said, "That would be funny, but you better not."  
  
She had the strangest image of Inuyasha with a cigar in his mouth, wearing glasses and turning to Shippo and saying "Get away from me kid, ya bother me!" She burst into a fit of giggles at the mental image, almost dropping to her knees.  
  
"Kagome what is it! Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, Shippo, fine," she said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "I just had the funniest thought about someone."  
  
"Was it Inuyasha?"  
  
"I better not tell you," she said, trying to suppress a new bout of giggles.  
  
"Oh, it was!" he said smiling.  
  
At that, Inuyasha came running up beside them, demanding to know what Kagome was laughing about. When she tried to wave him away, saying he wouldn't understand anyway, he told her she promised to tell him the truth. They were still arguing about this as the walked up to their friends, who were now overhearing the end of the argument.  
  
"Look, if you really want to know, I'll tell you later, but it won't even be funny because when you have to explain a joke to someone it never is."  
  
"If I am the joke then your are goddamned right it's not funny! Now, you better tell me, wench!"  
  
"I said later."  
  
"Now"  
  
"Later!"  
  
Sango looked at her friends and smiled, shaking her head. "It's nice to see some things haven't changed!" she said.  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome stopped arguing to look at her. Neither had any idea what she meant.  
  
Kaede spoke next: "You've trained long and hard this morning child. Are you better satisfied with your progress than when we left?"  
  
She started to respond, but before she could, Miroku broke in, not looking up from the amulet he was polishing. "I guess at least I can breathe a little easier knowing that Lady Kagome really couldn't make good on her earlier threat."  
  
With amazing speed, Kagome thrust Shippo at Inuyasha's chest, grabbed her bow from around her back, loaded an arrow, and fired.  
  
Miroku looked up at the sound of the arrow whizzing toward him. Luckily, he didn't have time to move. It landed, embedded in the bench directly between his legs. He looked in front of him in horror and screamed before he realized she had only skewered his robe and pant leg. Sango came rushing over as Miroku cried, "Oh Gods! It's all. . . still. . . there." She caught him as he fainted.  
  
Kagome didn't skip a beat. "Yes, Kaede, thank you for asking. I think my aim has improved greatly since this morning."  
  
Inuyasha looked at her, stunned, and grinned wickedly. "That was fucking great!" he said laughing.  
  
She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek, in front of her shocked friends. "I couldn't have done it without you, Michael!" she said, then happily walked into Kaede's guest hut to get some dried apples.  
  
She was searching through her duffle bag when Sango came in.  
  
"Kagome–"she began. "I can't believe you just did that."  
  
Kagome looked up at her friend, saw her stricken expression.  
  
"Sango," she replied, "I'm sorry about Miroku. I promise you I would have never taken that shot if I was absolutely certain I could make it. I just wanted to give him something to think about, but you're right, I will apologize right away." She got up to go outside.  
  
Sango shook her head violently. "No Kagome! It's not that!" "What? The kiss? Oh the kiss was nothing, really. You know Inuyasha and I are just friends. Really, I'm surprised that would even bother you!"  
  
"It's not the kiss either. It's INUYASHA!"  
  
"Inuyasha? What about him?"  
  
"What you called him."  
  
"What I called him? Sango, what are you talking about?!"  
  
"You called him Michael."  
  
Kagome starred at friend and shook her head slowly. "No. I didn't do that."  
  
"Yes, Kagome, you did."  
  
Kagome felt her stomach rise to her throat and dropped the bag of dehydrated apples, no longer hungry.  
  
The color drained from her face . "Oh God!" she whispered.  
  
**********************************************  
  
Kagome ran outside, stopping only to ask Kaede "Which way?"  
  
Kaede gave her a small, sympathetic expression, pointing off to the left. "Good luck child," she said.  
  
Kagome took off running. She needed to find him and apologize, quick. She felt terrible, knowing how it must have sounded to him. He had been the one helping her, making her face her fears, and even cheering her on. Without his help, she couldn't have gotten her aim back. 'Without him, YOU wouldn't have gotten back.' She was panicked. She needed to find him, to say how sorry she was, to explain.  
  
'Explain what, exactly? That you called him someone else and you don't know why, it just slipped out?'  
  
She ran through the woods calling his name. Eventually, she realized that just like Shippo, he wouldn't be found by her unless he was ready.  
  
"Inuyasha, please!" she yelled, causing a group of birds to take to their wings from the canopy above her. She looked up, watching them take off in a frenzy of beating wings.  
  
When she looked down, her skin was tingling. She turned round and inhaled in shock.. He was directly behind her, his dark orange eyes vivid, burning. He stared at her in silent accusation. Only his eyes spoke to her. They screamed at her with hurt rage.  
  
She felt wretched. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to call you Michael. It was a really dumb thing to do, and I'm really sorry."  
  
He didn't react, his expression was the same, his eyes didn't move in the slightest. He held her in his hot gaze, burning her.  
  
"Inuyasha. Please talk to me. I made a mistake, a big mistake, and I am sorry."  
  
Still he remained perfectly motionless. His silence and intensity were beginning to really frighten her.  
  
"Do you hate me now? Is that it? Do you want me to leave because of one mistake?!"  
  
Without moving his immense eyes, he said in a low voice, "I want you to tell you what he means to you."  
  
Kagome did not have to ask who he was talking about. He wanted a truthful answer from her, and he wanted it now. She took a shallow breath, shaking, and began:  
  
"I don't know. I don't know what he means to me. I don't even know how to begin to answer that question. All I know is I owe him everything. I owe him my life."  
  
Slowly, without moving, he closed his eyes. He stood there with his eyes shut for several seconds. Without even his eyes speaking to her now, Kagome felt worse than ever in the desolate silence. When he opened his eyes his gaze had not changed. He fixed them on her once more and spoke:  
  
"Have you forgotten the times I saved your life? Have you forgotten the years I protected your life with my very own? Have you so easily forgotten who I am?"  
  
His words made her heartsick. "No Inuyasha! I haven't forgotten a thing, not one single thing! I could never forget you or what you have done for me time and time again,–not as long as I live!"  
  
She was crying, desperately trying to reach him, to reason with him. What she did was insensitive, but why was he punishing her so much? Was he really not going to forgive her for this?  
  
"Who means more to you?" he demanded, his eyes unwavering.  
  
The last question surprised her. This one completely shocked her. 'Why for God's sake, is he asking me this?! How can I answer?' It wasn't a fair question. She knew from his behavior that she had to answer with care, that very friendship hung in the balance.  
  
"Inuyasha--I've known you longer. We have been through so much together and have been friends for a long time. It's longer for me, I know, because of the time shift between our worlds, but, please—I don't want to loose what we have now. I feel like I just found something precious I lost a long time ago. I have a chance to be here with you now and see this through. Inuyasha, I am committed to that, and that's what I want right now, more than anything, enough to put the rest of my life on hold! But, . . . I owe Michael and that's a fact I will never forget. He protects me now because it's his job. You could say I'm his assignment. It's not for forever, but for the time being I work with him. He's helping me to do something I was born to do and he's the one who's given me that chance. You're question makes it sound like there's some kind of a choice to make when there isn't. "  
  
"Isn't there?" he said, his voice still low, close to a growl.  
  
"Inuyasha did you just hear anything I said? I can't tell you who means more, I just can't. You came to me, found me again, and reminded me of what needed to come first in my life, finding the jewel pieces and putting it back together, making things right again. But Michael is the one who saved me and showed me that I still had a destiny to fulfill. You're asking me to choose between fulfilling my destiny here and the person who is the very reason I can even be here? Inuyasha, How can I do that? Tell me! What is it you want me to say?!"  
  
'So this is the way she feels? I saved her so many times and she never acted like she owed me more than a thank you. This idiot saves her one time and she owes him what, EVERYTHING?! Just once I couldn't help her, just once and she acts like this. This is totally fucked-up!'  
  
He was still angry, he knew that. He also needed some time to think, to weigh her words and try to understand what she was really saying. He didn't like it, but he was used to this with her. There was always more to Kagome's meanings than her words. She was a shifting puzzle he had to keep re-solving. A part of him normally liked the challenge, but now he wished to hell that she would just tell him who and what it was she really wanted. She had as much as said he was her destiny, and he had heard her say this before. But she also said that Michael was what--the reason she had a destiny?  
  
How could she be so divided? She had only known Michael a few months, so how could she say she owed her existence to him? She sounded so damned confused when she spoke, he didn't think she knew her own mind at all.  
  
"Leave Kagome. Go back to Kaede's," he said, taking his eyes off her and turning away.  
  
She was stung by his dismissal like a slap. "Fine. But before I go, there's one thing more I want to say to you, Inuyasha--I know that I hurt you when I called you Michael. I know from personal experience how much a mistake like that can hurt." 


	18. More Confusion

Author's Notes: I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to the reviewer who raised the issue about time travel and the way I treated it. I have a two responses, the first being WOW!!! I am completely astounded by what I read (and re-read), trying hard to understand exactly what you are saying. I'm afraid I just can't wrap my mind around it.  
  
You remind me of a student I had in an honors philosophy seminar once--we were having a free-ranging discussion dealing with everything from Descartes to Sarte and existentialism to Theravada Buddhism. Anyway, one student listened as I tried to give a wrap-up for of these ideas, looking for commonalities and differences. He raised his hand to voice an objection and ended up giving a thirty-minute presentation on Chaos Theory and its religious and ethical implications. I don't think I'll ever forget that. I was so pleased, so humbled, and so delighted by that experience. He was (and still is, I'm sure) a remarkable person  
  
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I humbly admit to my short-comings (which are many) in understanding theories and scientific law. I know nothing at all of physics, etc. I think you are saying nicely that my scenario is unrealistic that this takes away from the story's efficacy for you. I'm sorry, I really am.  
  
I love sci-fi stories that are based on what may be possible and the ethical/technological implications these stories raise. I read a story once about a tachyonic telephone created by a man in the future to send a message back to 1960's to alter the future (the earth was dying from pollution). Very cool story, and from what I understand from a physics professor friend who also teaches sci-fi fiction, theoretically possible.  
  
My second response is not defensive--I hope! I don't believe in demons, half- demons, angels, men with cursed black-holes in their hands, etc. (not that I am closed to any possibilities, I just haven't met any yet!). I don't spend time looking for gateways existing to other dimensions or times either. Still, I love thinking about these ideas as STORY, for entertainment, which means suspending my own beliefs. Some of the sci-fi channel's offerings like Sliders (older show), Farscape (I'm so pissed it's gone!), and Star Gate are so fun! The Inuyasha premise and the possibilities the author has generated with her wonderful ideas have spawned countless fanfics, a testament to the power of creativity sparking creativity.  
  
Like I said at the beginning, this story is an amateur's attempt at writing romance within a sci-fi genre, and I'm doing it for FUN! If this works for you at all, I am assuming that you can overlook my lack of grounding in scientific theory as much as my lack of Japanese culture. I promise if I ever try to write a novel for publication I will at least attempt to do some research to make it as believable as possible!  
  
Finally, about Paul—no he's not an afterthought. Kagome herself is not the most believable as I have created her (19, academically gifted to the point of genius, gorgeous, talented singer, and with powerful supernatural abilities to boot—not to mention that she's still a virgin!) Anyway, I thought it would make sense that at 19, she had at least ONE regular human boyfriend in her experience—sorry again if it doesn't work, but I appreciate the feedback!  
  
Sorry this is so long—Thank you again to all my reviewers for taking the time. Now, on with the story. . . .  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Chapter 18 More Confusion  
  
She turned around swiftly and walked away. 'Let him chew on that for awhile! I didn't want to throw it in his face that he called me "Kikyo" more than once, but he is being such a jerk about this! It hurt, but I never acted like I hated him for it!'  
  
' But. . . ,' a little voice continued, 'calling you Kikyo would be an easy mistake. You look like her, you've seen that yourself. You are her reincarnation, so it's only natural to confuse you. In what way does Inuyasha even remotely resemble Michael?'  
  
She confused an angel with a half-demon. She shook her head at herself as she walked away, sardonically smiling in disbelief. 'Confusing opposites is a little harder to understand than confusing copies! I guess he does have a reason to be really, really pissed. . . . still, I pray he forgives me.'  
  
She came back to camp to find only Shippo and Kaede waiting for her. Miroku and Sango had gone off to look for the plant demon. A boy from the next village, just three miles away gave Kaede the news of a fresh attack.  
  
Kaede asked how things had gone with Inuyasha. "Not well. I think he's really mad at me this time, and I need to give him some time to cool-down. He doesn't care how sorry I am."  
  
Kaede gave a sympathetic nod, but said nothing more.  
  
"Kaede, how long ago did Sango and Miroku leave?"  
  
"About twenty minutes ago on Kirara."  
  
"Shippo, I'm going to try to catch-up to them. You stay here with Kaede, okay?"  
  
"Kagome no! I want to come with you. You may need my help. I can protect you just like Inuyasha."  
  
"I know you can Shippo," she said, looking into his small face seriously, not wanting to hurt his feelings by smiling now. "But I really want you to stay and protect Kaede. What if that thing comes here and she's alone?"  
  
"Kagome, come on. I've been going into battles ever since you found me. Please don't make me stay!" he begged, grabbing her leg and hanging on, tears in his eyes.  
  
Kagome knew they were crocodile tears, but he was right. He was part of their group and was rarely left behind. His foxfire attacks and abilities to become invisible and transform had made critical differences too. He was brave, cunning, and selfless in battle. As young as he seemed to her, she also knew he was older, older than a human his size would be. Also, he was aged by the painful experience of losing his family and watching his parents die. She wanted to protect him, but he deserved to come.  
  
"Oh Shippo, you know I can't say no to you. You'll have to hold on to me tight though, okay?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I'm going to run."  
  
"Like Inuyasha runs with you on his back?"  
  
She shook her head. "Not anywhere close to that fast, but as fast as I can."  
  
"Let's go!" he said.  
  
"Okay, I just need to get two things out of the hut and we're off."  
  
Kagome hurried inside. She grabbed her MP3 and strapped it to her arm and put in hear earphones. She also grabbed her Ray-Bans with the sports strap and put them on, covering her eyes from the mid-day glare. When she got back outside, she picked up her quiver and bow and bent to check her shoe laces before starting off.  
  
"You look funny Kagome!" Shippo said. 'Yeah, like some kind of Japanese time-traveling terminator,' she thought. 'Maybe I'll start saying to demons before they die: "you are terminated, fucker!" I wonder if I can do a German accent?'  
  
She smiled thinly at her own silliness. She was trying hard to keep her mind off Inuyasha, but not succeeding. She wished he was with her now.  
  
"What are those things on your eyes?"  
  
They're called sunglasses. They keep the sun out of my eyes. 'And the energy from my eyes safely away from my friends,' she thought. "Are you ready?"  
  
Shippo nodded, jumped on her back, and held on tight. Waiving goodbye to Kaede, the pair took off for the village to the northeast, Kagome listening to ELO's "Hold On Tight To Your Dreams" as she ran.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Back in the forest, Inuyasha sat in a high tree, thinking about her parting words. She had a point, he knew. He had called her Kikyo before, and sometimes she would pout and not speak to him for hours afterward. He knew he should just let this go, but he was deeply disappointed. 'Tonight was to be the night I asked Kagome to become my mate,' he thought bleakly. 'I can't do that now. I don't know if it will ever happen, or if it is even possible.'  
  
He knew that since he fully realized his feelings toward her he had been moving fast, maybe faster than was wise. Did it really make any sense to mate while they were in the middle of this quest? What if she got pregnant, then what? Was he ready for that, to have two lives to protect in the face of constant danger? No, he knew his thinking was rash, 'If only that bastard wasn't forcing the issue.' If it wasn't for Michael, threatening to confess his feelings at any moment and showing he had the power to take her away from him in the blink of an eye, there would be time later to sort-out their feelings.  
  
He was having a hard enough time just accepting the changes in her and in his own awakening feelings. He also knew there was more about her he didn't know yet.  
  
Just what had happened to her in the past two years to cause such changes to her personality? She was bolder, more independent. She had a new confidence too. Her good humor was still there, but there was something underneath it, underneath what she wanted to show everyone else. There was a deep sadness in her, a pain he could sense like a heavy scent. Why did she carry this sadness? He wanted to help her, to hold her and protect her, to make it leave her, but he didn't know how. He didn't know what could have caused this.  
  
Because of Michael, he didn't have the luxury of time if he wanted a chance to claim her, but he couldn't act on his feelings while she was so confused.  
  
He wasn't angry any more, he was hurt. He was hurt by her confusion about what Michael meant to her. He wanted to hear her say that Michael was only her protector, and no more. He wanted to hear her say that she loved him, but she hadn't.  
  
'But did you ask her?'  
  
'Well, maybe not exactly,' he answered himself, 'But I did ask her who meant more to her and she couldn't give a straight answer. She wasn't lying. She really doesn't know.'  
  
'True,' his thoughts circled back again, 'but still. . . .maybe you should ask, just to be certain. Are you ready to forget about mating because her feelings are unclear to you?'  
  
'No, but damn it, she needs to choose! Him or me. That is what I'll tell her–she needs to make a choice, right now.'  
  
****************************************  
  
Kagome had made good time getting to the village. The land was flat and the spring day not too hot. She wished she had taken some extra water with her. Her earlier run and carrying Shippo were tiring her faster than she expected, and she knew she needed to replenish herself soon.  
  
As she ran into the village, she heard sounds of women crying. People looked askance at her, a strangely dressed woman with a demon-child on her back, but no one spoke to her. Two men had died today in the attack, and their wives and children were being consoled by other women.  
  
"Please," Kagome said, approaching a woman bringing food to one of the grieving families, "can you point me in the direction where the men were attacked?"  
  
The woman looked at her suspiciously but didn't respond.  
  
When she realized she was still wearing her glasses, she pulled them down to show the woman she did have normal eyes.  
  
"Please! It's very important!" Kagome asked again, hoping she had put the woman at-ease.  
  
"Why?! Why would you want to know that? You're a very rude and foolish girl!"  
  
"Maam, I mean no disrespect to you or any of those grieving today. What happened here was terrible. Two of my companions are already here, fighting the demon that did this. I came to help them. Please, will you tell me?"  
  
The woman looked at Kagome again. What she noticed, beyond her appearance, was her arrows. She raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, but her tone had changed.  
  
"You look a lot like the younger girl I saw not four months ago. She was dressed strangely too, but differently than you. Are you her sister?"  
  
Kagome wasn't sure how to answer. Obviously she came through here recently in this time, but she didn't remember clearly. This village blurred with all the others in her memories, and as her older self, it made sense that she would be taken as her own sister.  
  
"Uhmm, yes, that's right. I am. Now, will you please help me?"  
  
"Head towards the mountains. The thing seems to have been laying in waiting. The men went hunting this morning when they were attacked," she said, pointing her swollen, arthritic finger toward the northwest.  
  
Kagome nodded in thanks.  
  
Shippo was still holding on tight, his grasp tightening with his mounting tension. As she ran to the music, she became aware of something, a feeling inside her body like a pulse. She reached up absentmindedly and pressed the volume down button. She felt it distinctly, two beats, growing stronger with each step, mirroring the rhythm of her own heart. "Shards," she thought. "I don't just sense them, I feel them, calling me."  
  
She had not expected to feel this, it was a new sensation. It was stronger, more demanding than the general sense of them she had always had. She ran on. The sky grew steadily darker in the area they were moving into, and the smell of fresh blood and death assaulted the fox-demon's keen nose. "Kagome, be careful. I think this thing is–"  
  
"AHEAD!" Kagome yelled. She had been distracted by the music, by her own thoughts. If she hadn't looked up, she would have run straight into it. What she saw made her stomach and chest tighten in dread. The demon was in front of them and it was immense, sprawling. It wasn't a plant demon at all, but some kind of immense brown snake. The entire top of its body was covered with green. They were vine-like growths sprouting tendrils and spiked leafy projections out in every direction. The plant layer was obviously the thing's camouflage. It was why she had not seen it earlier, how it had killed so many unsuspecting victims. Once she approached its lair, the thing raised up, revealing it's brown underbelly.  
  
The monster's head was undifferentiated from its body. It undulated as its body raised the head above the trees, towering above her. It knew she was there, but it was looking in the wrong direction. She noticed in fascinated horror the bands of skin that expanded and contracted as the thing moved. The air turned putrid, it was a stench from the deepest bowels of the earth- -decay, humus, and the vaguely sweet scent of rotting meat.  
  
Kagome closed her eyes, willing herself not to throw-up. 'It probably can hone-in on the sound of someone retching,' she warned herself. 'Keep it together. Stay calm. You can do this, you must.' It turned it's head toward them and Kagome realized it had no eyes, no face at all. The head was smooth, bulbous. Not even a mouth was visible. She realized with horror why.  
  
"HOLY SHIT! This is no snake demon! It's a nightcrawler from hell!"  
  
With a move so sudden Kagome didn't have time to react, the monster rounded on her, its faceless head, almost level with the ground, only yards away. It sensed her now, and was moving in. It's mouth, she realized with horror, was somewhere on the underside of the mammoth head, "Probably a slit with barbs at the opening," her mind recalling details from invertebrate zoology on it's own, trying to avoid what was immediate, what was bearing down on her now.  
  
Without thinking, the spell was activated. The monstrous head and the lower- half of the body that were closing in where thrown back. The demon twisted and writhed in the air as it was sent flying. Behind her, she heard someone scream.  
  
"Shippo!" He was repelled at the same time and went flying back into the grass. She watched in horror as he landed. Her eyes grew huge as he screamed. "AAARHG! KAGOME! I'M HURT!"  
  
She starred in horror, realizing Shippo hadn't landed in grass, but in a loop of the demon's plants. Thorny tendrils held him, snagged in his clothes, his body, held onto his tail. The more he tried to move, the more embedded the plant's hooks became. "IT BURNS!" he cried fear and pain. "IT BURNS!" Kagome realized the thorns were releasing some kind of toxin. This is how the blind headed demon immobilized it's victims, she quickly understood, making them easier to find.  
  
"SHIPPO! HOLD ON! I'M COMING!" 'Focus NOW!' she commanded herself. She was not in danger, but Shippo was. She knew she had to act fast. She loaded an arrow and shot at the head, missing. 'Shit!' she thought. Her hands were shaking. She couldn't focus. She was too scared for Shippo to focus. She had to get past the fear if she was going to be able to save him.  
  
'You can't be scared--Fear is death! Fear is death!' her mind screamed. But she felt herself drifting away, leaving the pain, leaving the fear, as her mind struggled for escape from the dread. 'Fear is darkness. . . .' Her eyes were loosing focus. She watched from behind her glasses a blurry scene as the head demon's came down, positioned directly over Shippo.  
  
He was screaming, crying, and unable to move. He was far, far away from her, hundreds of years away. She was letting go-- 'NO! GO BACK NOW!' her mind commanded, bringing her back to the moment she desperately wanted to leave behind. 'Shippo. . . . That goddamned monster is going to kill him, it's going to kill this child--this child I love like my own--MY CHILD!'  
  
A surge of white-hot anger shot through Kagome, physically causing her to shudder with the impact of the jolt.  
  
"NO YOU DON'T, YOU GODDAMNED BITCH!" She screamed. With speed powered by miko energy, she fired four arrows one after another, directly into the head in nightcrawler. The head exploded, raining down a shower of hot, clear fluids on Shippo. If the thing's tendrils weren't holding him fast, he would have been carried away in their quick flood. Headless, the body flopped down with a quake. A rush of steamy, putrid juice flowing from the severed ending.  
  
Kagome saw Shippo through the blue-white haze of her energy. She held out her right hand and threw her head slightly back, eyes open. "Come Shippo, grab the light and hold on. hold onto the light."  
  
***********************************  
  
Inuyasha was still thinking about her words, trying to convince himself that confronting her now was the right course of action. 'I want her and she wants me. It should be easy now. Why is nothing with this woman easy?. . . She's confused, but she needs to choose. I will make her choose. But, what if I'm not her choice? What then? Am I ready to hear her say those words? If I ask her to choose now, I might loose her. If only she weren't so damn confused, stupid woman. I've shown her how I feel, practically told her. What more am I supposed to do now?. . .'  
  
'Michael said this was "a game." That asshole. This is no game. Still, he has the advantage. He's part of her time, her world, and she's bound to him now. She feels something for him too, I know. It's new, but it's strong. His hold on her--what is it?. . ."  
  
His thoughts were broken off by his instincts. He tensed, ears twitching, scanning the quiet forest for something amiss. Every sense was in high alarm. Something was wrong. He tore through the skies, back at Kaede's in under three minutes. He arrived to a deserted scene, but his nose told him a human was still here.  
  
"Kaede!" He yelled. "Where are you hag!"  
  
Kaede came through the door of her hut, looking puzzled. "Inuyasha, what's wrong? Why are so–""Where's Kagome?!" he demanded.  
  
"Inuyasha, she left with Shippo almost an hour ago. They went to go help Sango and Miroku battle the plant demon in the next village," she explained.  
  
"WHAT?!" he said, towering threateningly over the old woman. "YOU LET HER GO BY HERSELF?! YOU JUST LET HER GO?!!" Every fang glared menacingly at her as she was accosted by his temper.  
  
"You expected me to force her to stay when she knew her friends were fighting?" she asked blandly, turning away from the angry hanyou.  
  
"WHY DOESN'T THAT DAMN BITCH EVER LISTEN TO ME?! I told her to stay the fuck here!" he yelled back, turning to leave.  
  
"And when has Lady Kagome ever done as you've commanded, hmm?" she snapped back to no one. He was gone, leaping through the trees and sky in flashes of red.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
As she held up her hand, a hazy blue light that steamed forth, hitting the surface of the plant growths and withering them in their purifying heat. Shippo was free, standing shoulder-deep in dead vines and dust.  
  
He was hurt, cut in many places, and felt burning stings under his skin in many painful places. But when she spoke to him, the pain left-- "Come Shippo, grab the light and hold on. hold onto the light."  
  
He felt no fear now, no pain, only a sense of calm and safety. He reached out to the light, let it take him. He was lifted soundlessly and gently, surrounded by an aura of Kagome's energy, he was carried to her waiting arms.  
  
"Shippo," she nuzzled into the child's furry ear. "Oh Shippo! Are you all right?"  
  
The child nodded "Yes, yes Kagome. You saved me. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, sweet boy!" Kagome smiled in relief and let out a deep breath. Holding this child, knowing he was safe, was enough.  
  
That's when she heard Sango's scream. Gently placing Shippo down on solid, worm-free ground, she turned. Behind her she could now see what had been blocked by the half of the monster's body she destroyed. Miroku and Sango were caught in a deadly battle with the nightcrawler's other half. A head, identical to the one she just destroyed loomed above them. Sango was on lying on the ground, holding her side in pain. Miroku was standing in front of her, protecting her with his own body. He was holding up his staff in his hand with the wind tunnel. She could see his staff was emitting a spiritual energy, but it wasn't strong enough to stop the demon's advance, only to barely slow it.  
  
"Shippo! Stay here! I need to go help them!"  
  
Without waiting for his reply, she was running behind the head. The ground was hilly and unstable, like a landmine field. The monster's body was everywhere, hidden by its growths, looping and twisting in wide swaths of the surrounding field. Kagome had to run looking down, carefully watching for patches where vines and tendrils blended among the high meadow grasses.  
  
Up ahead, the ground was an ugly tangle of earthworm. There were no more patches of safe land for footing. She was trapped on both sides and ahead, the only free way, to go back. Miroku and Sango were in trouble now. Sango was standing again but she looked wobbly. She was leaning on her boomerang, and it looked like she was going to attempt to lift it. 'If Miroku opens his wind-tunnel to suck that thing in, will he be able to close it again?' she thought, panicked. The worm was vast. She was worried that if he tried to save Sango by opening it, the hole to grow to the point where he would be swallowed too.  
  
Kagome saw the back of the giant ugly head. 'If only I could get closer!' There was no time. She was out of range of the arrows, she knew, but she had to try. 'If I can send out an energy channel and keep it open, could the arrow ride it?' She had never tried to use her energy like this before. It would require timing and a focus she didn't know if she had. She was running on pure adrenaline, but she was nearly spent. 'If I can do this, I only get one chance.'  
  
She brought her bow round front over her left shoulder. Standing straight with her eyes closed behind her glasses, she held out her right hand. 'No fear, no fear, no fear, no fear,' she chanted to herself. 'Find your energy, bring it forth, focus, Kagome. Focus now!'  
  
She opened her eyes as they flashed to white behind her glasses, and once more a stream of pure blue energy emitted from her palm. She held her arm high, pointing the beam at the monster's head.  
  
Where the energy connected with the demon there was a sound of fire erupting. Her energy was boring a hole through it's thick skin. In pain, the head and lower body swiveled around on a segment, searching for the source of its aggravation. The thing made no sound, but the sound of its movements were horrifying, the wet friction of segments twisting, it's spineless form undulating toward her.  
  
Still focused on her energy beam, Kagome loaded an arrow and fired.  
  
Inuyasha surveyed the battle from above, saw the thing turn, advancing toward Kagome. 'That light coming from her–I've never seen her do that before!' he thought as he witnessed a wavering band of soft blue light extending from Kagome's hand to the demon's head.  
  
He landed on back of the nightcrawler's head, sword in his hand.  
  
Kagome's arrow veered from her energy stream just the slightest, hitting the side of the mouth instead of dead center. The arrow hit just as Tetsusaiga severed the head from the body. A rush of hot fluid's fell freely above Kagome, but she was beyond its reach. She watched as the body fell, a repeat of what she had seen only minutes before. Across from her in the field of steaming worm remains, Inuyasha stood, sword still drawn, wind billowing through his white hair. They locked eyes from across the distance.  
  
Suddenly he yelled, "Kagome! Look out!" She turned round.  
  
The half of the monster behind her was rising, a shiny, new end rounding the body, a head that only minutes before had been destroyed. 'Shit!' she realized in dawning horror. 'It's growing new heads!'  
  
Almost as soon as she thought that she looked back towards Inuyasha to see another new head budding from the severed stump. Kagome was struck with an idea. 'I pray this works,' she thought.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she screamed at him across the field. "We have to severe both heads from the ends at the same time! Wait until the head grows back at your end before you attack. It won't die unless both heads die together!"  
  
He gave a nod in understanding and, without time for further communication, Kagome turned back round to face the new head that now was searching for her again. She knew Inuyasha had to wait for the head at his end to fully emerge before attacking. They would have to be perfectly synchronized in their actions.  
  
"INUYASHA!" she yelled back, "Signal when you are ready!" She hoped he heard her. Her mind was so distracted she forgot about his demon hearing. She waited only a couple of seconds and tossed an arrow into a large patch of vines to her side. Instantly the vines came to life, grabbing the arrow and piercing its shaft with thorns. At the same instant, the new head whirled round.  
  
"Come and get me, bitch!" Kagome said, readying her bow.  
  
She heard Inuyasha give a battle cry and knew Tetsusaiga was in motion. With the mouth descending above her like a collapsing tower overhead, Kagome fired straight up into the center of the head, releasing two arrows. There was a deafening sound, as twin explosions occurred across the vast space of the field. Inuyasha had sliced his head clear off, and was splattered by fresh guts. A stream of fluids also hit Kagome this time, hot and putrid. The ground was burning everywhere, blackened and on fire as the areas of field that were the monster's body were burning.  
  
Shippo ran to Kagome, clinging to her.  
  
"Kagome! Kagome!" he called. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine!" she tried to smile reassuringly. "Are you okay?" she asked, bending down to pat his head. He winced where she touched him, sore from the plant's stingers, but he nodded yes.  
  
"Shippo let's go check on the others."  
  
The kitsune hopped up in her arms and Kagome felt herself sway woozily. "Shippo honey, are you up to walking? I'm afraid I might be too tired to carry you just now."  
  
He looked momentarily hurt, but nodded yes again. "Okay, just be careful not to step in any of the burning areas. There could still be some thorns."  
  
He nodded again, and they started walking, but only had taken a few steps before Inuyasha swept down, lifting them both up in his arms. Airborne with her head against his chest, Kagome whispered "Thanks." He heard her, but didn't respond to her words. He could tell as soon as he touched her there something was wrong with her, she looked drained, and her pulse was weaker than normal. He landed by Miroku and Sango, intent to question her about what was wrong, but as soon as he let go of her waist, she ran to the two humans.  
  
"Miroku, Sango, are you guys okay?"  
  
"Yes Lady Kagome. Thanks to your timely assistance and Inuyasha's arrival. I have never seen a demon so immense on the ground before! Your aim is truly remarkable, and I am sorry for offending you earlier."  
  
"Miroku, don't worry. I'm just glad you're okay!" she smiled weakly.  
  
Sango winced and Kagome looked at her in alarm, remembering she had been hurt earlier. "It's nothing Kagome," she said. "I was thrown off Kirara when we were attacking the first head from the air. I landed hard and some of its plants stung me. It feels like a giant bee-sting, but I'll be okay."  
  
Kagome nodded. "Shippo got stung badly too. I think we better get back to Kaede's and clean up. She noticed that Inuyasha was rubbing his arm as well.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she asked.  
  
"I'm fine Kagome, I landed in the wrong spot after I sliced its damn head off, but the fucker only stung me once. It's you who–""  
  
Kagome interrupted him "Sssh!" she commanded. "Let me get the shards." Their rhythm was faster now, more persistent, and she could feel her own heartbeat responding to their call.  
  
The group looked at each other puzzled. No one had suspected there would be jewel shards connected with this demon and Kagome hadn't said anything earlier. Inuyasha watched her with a mixture of concern and awe, keenly aware of what was happening to her.  
  
The shards were drawing her to them, like a heartbeat in her head, the pulse of them almost deafening. She had never sensed shards so intently as she did now, and their call overpowered ever other sense, even her own fatigue.  
  
"Where Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
She walked over the charred and smoking earth, bent down and picked up a shard where the head closest to Miroku and Sango had been. Holding it in her hand, feeling her pulse, interweave with hers, she felt stronger. Without calling it into focus, her power flowed freely through her hand, a blue light mixing with the shard's soft, pink glow. The shard was purified by her touch, and somehow, Kagome had regained some strength from touching it as well. Inuyasha watched her run back to where the other head fell, the spot still smoking and on fire. Inuyasha gasped as he watched her reach through fire without hesitation and retrieve a second shard, unburned. She smiled back at him happily, a victory smile. Even covered in demon stench and grime, she looked radiant as Inuyasha watched her walk back to them, holding two new shards.  
  
Before she reached them, the sky darkened to an ominous black above them. The immediate hum was deafening and unmistakable--hundreds of Naraku's giant wasps emerged from a massive, swirling hole that opened in what only an instant before had been a clear-blue sky.  
  
The insects descended and attacked the group, a separate swarm heading straight for Kagome. Before they reached her she saw one last glimpse of her friends. Inuyasha was protecting Sango and Shippo, his sword drawn. A little distance away a separate wasp was closing on Miroku, descending upon the unprotected monk with a killing speed. She knew she was out-of-range, but she loaded and fired one shot before she was cut-off from them by a living, buzzing wall.  
  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called in panic. She stood still, eyes closed, as a hot wind from their beating wings blew across her face. She clutched the shards tightly in her hand, hoping, praying.  
  
"Michael, if this charm works, please let it work NOW!"  
  
Kagome's hope was answered. The insects came at her full speed with their clawed legs outstretched toward her. When the first wave reached the boundary within a few feet, they were thrust backward, spiraling and spinning and smashing into the ground and trees in the radius around her with massive force. It was a good thing she was separated from the group, or many of the repelled wasps would have gone flying into her friends.  
  
Wave after wave attacked her. The rear swarm, somehow sensing what was happening, diverted away from Inuyasha and the rest and veered back toward Kagome.  
  
She stood still. Her eyes closed, she took in deep, ragged breaths as she clutched the shards  
  
'I fear no evil. I fear no evil. I stand in the light, I fear no evil.' She chanted this to herself at first in her mind, and then aloud.  
  
Through the onslaught of the droning insects, Inuyasha heard her words, a faint whisper in a foul wind.  
  
As wave after wave was repelled, they seemed to become more aggressive, more determined to get at her. Inuyasha knew they were being controlled by Naraku, and that somewhere, right now, the demon was growing extremely frustrated and pissed. He hoped he was worried, too.  
  
'I just hope that charm doesn't give out,' he thought, trying to contain his own fear for her. He thought about trying to attack them from the rear as they came at her, but it was no good. They approached her from all sides at once, and there were hundreds of them. As they fell, a few died from the trauma of Kagome's force-field, but still more came pouring through the hole. The group was completely cut-off from her, surrounded by the horror of a rolling blackness. Miroku covered Sango and Shippo with his body, and Inuyasha stood ready, sword high, eyes turning from orange, to light red.  
  
Kagome, please be okay. . . .'  
  
After timeless minutes, the sky cracked with thunder and lightening. Hail the size of grapefruits rained down and pummeled the field. The insects retreated and disappeared through the dark hole as the massive hail continued to rain down upon them. Sango's boomerang provided some shelter to Miroku, Sango and Shippo, as Inuyasha tried to deflect and slice the ice- balls with Tetsusaiga, getting hit in many places in the process.  
  
At her end of the field, the hail rained down around Kagome in a circle, piling high on all sides, but none landing within the radius of her protected circle. Kagome had not opened her eyes. She felt the air go from burning hot to a deep cold on her cheeks. The noise was as loud as the wasps' drone, but different.  
  
Underneath the sounds surrounding her, deep in her mind, a scream reached her. It was an enraged, furious scream, trying to get into her skull, behind her eyes. Naraku was far away, but he was here, in her head. It hurt. She closed her eyes tighter and breathed through the pain and tears.  
  
'I fear no evil. I will not waiver, I will not fall. I stand in the light.'  
  
As suddenly as it came, it was gone. The silence was unnatural as the light moved quickly from black to back to pre-dawn purple and then returning to the full-intensity of a late spring afternoon.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and blinked. A ring of hailstones calf-high surrounded her. She stepped over them, peering in concern across the field for her friends. She squinted, having to adjust to the brightness of the light even through her glasses. The ground ahead was now a vast expanse of bumpy, glittering hail.  
  
She saw small dark, forms slowly moving amidst a white field. Inuyasha was the first to stand, a cascade of hail balls falling around him as he stood. He shook himself and tried to stand on top of the stones and walk. He lost his footing and fell down sideways, cursing.  
  
The sound of his voice reached her, but she knew she was trapped. "Inuyasha! Are you okay?!"  
  
She called to him, but if he answered, she didn't hear. It was getting hard to hear beyond the rushing of her own pulse in her head. She wanted to go to her friends, but the footing on the ice-balls was far too treacherous. 'I guess we'll just have to wait until this melts,' she thought grimly. She had felt better when she found the shards, but this onslaught had drained her once more, taken what little reserves she had left. She knew she needed water right away. She was shaking. She closed her eyes, fighting the urge lay down in the circle of bare grass, curl up and sleep.  
  
She let out a surprised breath as Inuyasha grabbed her again.  
  
"I've got you. You're alright now," he said to her low-tones as he quickly brought her down to the other end of the field. He felt her erratic heart rhythm. It was strange, one second too fast, the next slow and weak. He needed to get her alone, to find out what was wrong with her.  
  
"Kagome!" Shippo called. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried!" The kitsune was on Sango's shoulders, and made a move to hop onto hers, arms open, but the look on her face told him now was not a good time. The kitsune thought she looked tired and scared, and needed cheering up.  
  
"Hey Kagome!" he said, jumping down into the ice. "Look what I can do!" He picked up three, large balls and began juggling them.  
  
Kagome smiled weakly at Shippo's antics, knowing he was putting on a show for her.  
  
"That's great Shippo. I didn't know you could juggle," she replied, doing her best to sound very impressed. But she was tired and dehydrated and, if she didn't get what she needed soon, she knew she was going to be very sick.  
  
'A great lot of help you'll be if you're sick in bed or worse,' she thought.  
  
"Lady Kagome," Miroku said, "Once again I find myself thanking you. If you had not have shot the wasp when you did, I'm not sure I would be here now. Thank you."  
  
She looked at him, baffled. Then it came back. 'Oh yeah, I did fire an arrow. Miroku was being attacked, it was right before they came at me. . . . '  
  
She smiled at him. "I'm glad the arrow found its target. I was worried."  
  
She felt her eyes moving in and out of focus, Miroku was spinning. She turned away, desperate not to faint on him. She saw Sango stroking Kirara and remembered the shards in her hand. She worried irrationally that if she fainted now, she might loose them. She put the shards inside a small zippered pocket on her vest, feeling her hand shaking with the effort of this simple task. She carefully took a few slow steps over to Sango, feeling the ice against her legs as she dug her hiking boots into the ground. As Kagome approached her, Miroku turned to Inuyasha.  
  
"Inuyasha, a word with you, please."  
  
She heard them talking, and saw her chance.  
  
"Sango!" she whispered.  
  
"Kagome? What's wrong?–"  
  
"Sshh!"  
  
"Sango can Kirara fly now? Is she hurt?"  
  
"No, she can fly. She's fine, just a bit sore like me, I think"  
  
"Then please, Sango, take me back to Kaede's on Kirara now!"  
  
Sango saw how pale she looked. She reached up to touch her friends face and felt her chilled, clammy skin. Sango nodded.  
  
"Of course, but shouldn't we tell the others?"  
  
Kagome shook her head as her vision was giving way to blackness.  
  
"Now, Sango. I need to leave now."  
  
Kagome slumped over the cat-demon in a faint.  
  
Sango got behind her, positioned Kagome's leg across Kirara's back, and gave the command.  
  
They were airborne in a second, leaving three surprised males behind them.  
  
Inuyasha cursed loudly and hit Miroku on the side of his head, making him cry out in surprise and pain. "You asshole! Kagome's gone! If it wasn't for your damn blabbering she wouldn't have gotten away!" He was suddenly feeling very foul and pissed at everyone. He was pissed at Miroku for distracting him, at Shippo for being a nuisance, at himself for not realizing how bad-off she was, at Sango for helping her pull this little stunt now. Most of all, he was pissed at Kagome herself for making him sick with worry for her. 'How dare she hide this from me. . . .just wait until I get hold of her!' If only he hadn't allowed Miroku to distract him, then he would know for himself what was wrong with her.  
  
*******************************  
  
. . . . "Inuyasha, a word with you please," Miroku had said.  
  
Inuyasha faced the monk with a quizzical expression.  
  
"It's about Lady Kagome. I think she's not well."  
  
"Don't you think I can see that, idiot!" He had returned in a frustrated whisper. "She's shaken up from this whole fucking battle and then Naraku's wasps attacking her on top of it. It was too much for her."  
  
"It's not just that--although I am sure you are right, I'm sure she is shaken. I know you understand her better than the rest of us and know what's best for her," he added. Miroku wasn't sly or subtle and Inuyasha caught his implication but didn't respond.  
  
"What else, monk? What else do you think is wrong with her?"  
  
"It's her energy. It's very weak. She seemed weak earlier, her aura was very pale. But, when she picked up the first shard, I think she gained some strength back. I felt the change in her right away."  
  
Inuyasha nodded, he had noticed it too.  
  
"But now she seems even weaker than before. I happened to glance her eyes under those glasses she is wearing, and they are changed."  
  
"Changed how?"  
  
"The color. Her eyes have lost their color. Their hue matches the sky. It is–disturbing."  
  
Inuyasha felt himself grow cold. Kagome's eyes, her beautiful deep violet eyes.  
  
"Shit!" he thought. "Eyes paler as the sky. An almost white, light blue-- Michael's eyes. What the hell did he do to her?!"  
  
He turned round to confront her, make her take those damn glasses off so he could see for himself. That's when he saw her slumped on the back of Kirara, Sango holding on to her, rapidly receding in the air.  
  
********************************************  
  
Inuyasha took off, yelling back at Miroku and Shippo to meet him back at Kaede's. He knew Kagome would be mad when she found out he left the little kitsune behind, but right now, he didn't care and he didn't want the child in the way. He needed to get to Kagome as quickly as possible.  
  
"Hang on Kagome!" Sango called in the wind to her unconscious friend. Sango was holding on to her and leaning into her, hard to keep her from slipping off. She was worried about Kagome. Whatever was wrong with her, Kagome could feel it happening and for some reason, wanted to get back to Kaede's quickly. She also had the feeling that Kagome was trying to keep whatever it was from Inuyasha.  
  
Inuyasha couldn't get as high as Kirara, but he was flying, determined to beat them back or arrive at the same time.  
  
As the cat-demon landed, Kagome revived. "Sango, we're back already? I guess I fell asleep," she said in a dazed voice.  
  
"You didn't fall asleep, you fainted," Sango replied, her brow knit with worry.  
  
"Sango, thanks. I really needed to get away. I didn't want to get sick there."  
  
"You mean in front of Inuyasha, don't you?"  
  
Kagome didn't answer but gave her friend a small smile. She was still woozy, but she could see again. I need to get some water and something to eat and I'll be all right. Do you want to come with me?"  
  
Sango shook her head, "No, you go ahead and rest. I think I'll sit outdoors and enjoy what's left of the day without demons, wasps and hail."  
  
Kagome nodded in understanding and started walking toward the hut, still very shaky.  
  
Sango called out to her as she turned, feeling the need suddenly to let her friend know what she was thinking: "Kagome--I don't know what would have happened to us if you didn't show up. Your new power and skills are amazing. You were fearless, and I am proud to be in this fight with you again."  
  
Kagome turned back around and smiled warmly at her friend's sincere compliment. "Thank you Sango," she said. "You are like a sister to me and what you just said means more to me than I can ever say."  
  
Sango nodded and smiled. Kagome turned and went inside the hut.  
  
Inuyasha watched her go inside, and landed, preparing to tear into Sango for taking off with her.  
  
He landed in front of Sango, glaring accusingly.  
  
Sango was as used to his temper as the rest of the group. 'So much for some demon-free time,' she thought, frowning.  
  
"Don't look at me like that Inuyasha. I didn't do anything wrong. Kagome asked for my help and I gladly gave it. She feels sick and wants to get some food and water now, so just leave her alone. You can talk to her when she feels better."  
  
Inuyasha gave her a disgusted look. "Hmmph! I'm not wasting my breath with you, woman. You and I will talk later, after I find out what's wrong with Kagome."  
  
He turned and walked toward the hut.  
  
Kagome was digging through her duffle-bag. She found a peanut-butter- caramel energy bar and was looking for her liter of Fuji water. 'Damn! Why is it that the bigger the bag is the easier things get lost in it?! If I don't get some water now, I'll be really sick. I have to remember to pace myself--I should have prepared better. It was fighting with Inuyasha that did it, he always has been able to rattle me and make me forget what I'm supposed to be doing. . . .'  
  
She was getting frustrated, digging in the deep, dark, crowded bag, feeling around for the plastic bottle's distinctive shape. Finally, her hand found the top of it, and she sighed in relief, grabbing hold.  
  
She was trembling now, and felt nauseous. 'God, I hope I can keep it down,' she thought.  
  
She was distracted looking for the water and didn't hear him enter. As she straightened up holding the bottle, he was right behind her.  
  
"Hello Kagome," he said menacingly.  
  
Kagome startled and dropped her water. She turned round to face him, her heart racing and head swimming. She collapsed forward in his arms.  
  
He picked her up and laid her down on her bedroll. "Kagome! Wake up!" he yelled shaking her lightly. Her heart-rate was erratic again and her breathing was shallow. "Damn!"  
  
He was worried. She felt cold and was pale. 'Pale,' he remembered her eyes and removed her glasses, pulling them off from the stretchy sports- band that held them in place behind her head.  
  
'Open your eyes Kagome. I need to see your eyes,' he thought. He desperately wanted to see her vivid, deep eyes looking back into his; not Michael's. He thought about trying to pry her eyes open with his fingers to look but was worried about scratching her face. He was studying her face, thinking she looked too still and noticed her lips looked very pale too and dry. Sango had said she needed food and water to get better. 'Is that all that's wrong with the damn girl? She didn't eat enough?'  
  
He scowled, thinking how stupid it was for her to be so irresponsible. 'How could she not know when she's hungry or thirsty?' he thought frowning. But then, he thought of something else:  
  
'She came here after our fight. She went straight to Miroku and Sango to help them, and, by the looks of it, had been battling the demon when I got there. She must have run!' He reflected on the distance she had gone this morning and again this afternoon. Years of experience had taught him this was a fairly far distance for a human to walk in a day, but for a human to run would take exceptional endurance.  
  
He looked at her, shaking his head. 'You pushed yourself too far, you little idiot,' he thought. On top of this, he realized with new concern, she used her miko powers during her archery training to focus and used them again in the battle. He was awe-struck, remembering the band of pale-blue light that extended from her hand to the demon's head, melting the demon's skin where it touched. "If she did that, and was focusing her powers to guide arrows too, she's drained herself!" He startled, remembering something else Michael had said to her before he erased her memory:  
  
***********************************  
  
". . . . You need proper rest too. Don't allow yourself to get drained. Your spiritual energy is connected to your physical. . . ."  
  
***********************************  
  
Inuyasha felt his skin chill. Michael had erased that part of her memory too. Kagome wasn't thinking as much about this as she should because that bastard screwed with her head. 'Would you rather he didn't? Do you want her to remember every word he said to her?'  
  
Kagome didn't remember how to care for herself, but he did. He glanced down at what she had dropped when she fainted. He picked up the small protein bar and sniffed it through the wrapper. It smelt sweet and unpleasant to him. He grimaced. 'This is all she eats? It's not enough.' He remembered what she had said about training with Michael and the foods she ate now. 'Does that bastard decide the time of the day she goes to the bathroom too?' Still, as much as he hated Michael for his control over her, he couldn't shake a horrible, disturbing thought:  
  
'That necklace saved her today. The wasps couldn't touch her or the shards. Even Naraku's hail couldn't get through her barrier.'  
  
As much as he hated to admit it--and he hated it very, very, much--the protection Michael's charm gave Kagome in battle was not a bad thing. With so many wasps, he had been powerless to help her, but she was safe and she knew it. He had seen her, standing bravely and unwavering in the onslaught; he had heard her words. Because of that bastard, she came out of that without a scratch or sting, '. . . .a lot better than anyone else.'  
  
He thought again about what Miroku had said about her eyes–'Could this be some consequence of Michael's binding spell being activated, or is it something else?' He frowned. He didn't know what was caused the change in her eyes, but he knew it was connected to Michael.  
  
He focused again on what she needed now–food and water. If the necklace was good for her, he unhappily decided that Michael might be right about her food as well. As much as he disliked the smell of the insignificant 'meal,' he picked it up and put it in his shirt. He looked down skeptically at the plastic bottle of water lying on the floor. He picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled fine, other than the odor of its container.  
  
'Hmph! Is this how people in her time get "fresh" water? I will get Kagome fresh water.'  
  
He dropped the bottle and picked up Kagome, now sleeping. 'Rest now. I'll take care of you. I know what to do.'  
  
He picked her up and carried her out of the hut. Sango and Kaede were sitting in front of Kaede's hut. Sango was telling Kaede about the worm demon and the two new shards.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Sango called, jumping up with fear, "what's wrong with Kagome?"  
  
"Nothing wench! I'm going to take care of her. She'll be fine."  
  
"Why not just let her recover here? I'll tend to her myself," Kaede offered, also looking concerned.  
  
"NO! Both of you just stay away from her! No one's going to take care of her now but me, you to meddling bitches understand?"  
  
Both women shot the half-demon angry looks, but Sango tried to reason with him.  
  
"Really Inuyasha, we all care about Kagome and want what's best for her. Just let us–"  
  
"I said NO!" He yelled with such might, his voice echoed in his own head, surprising him. He wanted to growl at her, his hair was bristling on the back of his neck and his instincts were running wild again. It was all he could do not to voice what he was thinking and feeling–  
  
'No one touches my mate!'  
  
He took off with her in his arms, Leaving Kaede and Sango's small figures behind and below him.  
  
Kagome gave a small moan, but didn't wake up. At the river, the same one she jumped into earlier, he gently laid her down.  
  
He took off his fire-rat coat and laid it down on the grass, and then placed her on top.  
  
In the late afternoon, the air was starting to chill again, and he didn't want her lying on the cold ground. He took out the wooden ladle he picked up at Kaede's and filled it with cool, clear river water. He brought it back to her, and, gently cradling her head in his arms, wet his fingertip. He placed his finger on her lips, tracing her parched skin with cool water and his warm skin. She gave a soft moan and her lips parted, ever so slightly as a drop rolled into her mouth.  
  
"That's it, Kagome. You need water now." Her lips parted, he brought the ladle to her mouth, very gently tipping it until just a trickle poured in. For a moment, she just lay there, the liquid brimming out of her mouth in her sleep.  
  
He didn't like this, but then she made a choking sound and swallowed the water by reflex. "That's right, swallow. Now more."  
  
He started to bring the ladle back to her mouth when she started coughing. Her eyes opened, heavily, slowly. At first everything was a blur of color. She felt warm, and something felt good, something cold. The sound of the lapping river water came to her ears, then Inuyasha's voice.  
  
"Kagome! Kagome! Can you see me?"  
  
She blinked and focused. Inuyasha was looking down at her, deep concern in his eyes. They looked so pretty to her, like pools of liquid amber. "Pretty." she said, staring blankly at him.  
  
"What?" he asked. He heard her, but didn't understand. Surely she didn't just call him 'pretty!' She must be delirious.  
  
He gave a happy sigh looking back into her eyes. When she had first opened them, they where as Miroku said, a shocking light blue, too light to be human. But when she blinked and said 'pretty,' her eyes were back to normal, her own breathtaking, violet eyes.  
  
Kagome blinked and looked up at him. 'What am I doing here? I'm--I'm laying in Inuyasha's lap again!' She struggled to raise up, but he gently pushed her back down onto his legs.  
  
"No Kagome. You can't get up yet. You're too weak. You need to drink. Drink more water, now."  
  
She didn't even have time to respond. He brought the ladle to her mouth and was making her drink. She took in all the cool liquid as he gently tipped it to her lips. When it was gone, she tried to sit up again and this time he let her.  
  
"Inuyasha, what's going on?" she asked.  
  
"You're drinking," he said. "Stay here, I'm getting more." He stood up and walked quickly to the river, filling the ladle and bringing it back to her. "Drink, "he commanded. She looked at him with questioning eyes and he repeated the command louder. "DRINK."  
  
She tried to take the ladle from him, but he wouldn't let her. He was kneeling down beside her, holding the ladle to her lips again, again gently and slowly forcing her to drink it all.  
  
The water felt so good. She knew he was right, this was what she needed. She closed her eyes as she swallowed, relishing the feeling of the cool water in her throat and down into her body. She opened her eyes and found his staring at her intently. His gaze was steady, but unreadable.  
  
'What's happened?' she wondered, thinking both about the way he was acting now and how she got here in the first place. Gradually she remembered–she was looking for her water, she found her water, Inuyasha came. Inuyasha came and then. . . .then what?  
  
After she finished the water, he began standing to get more. She reached out and touched his arm.  
  
"Why?" she asked, searching his eyes for answers.  
  
"You were getting sick. You let yourself get run down. I'm taking care of you now. You'll drink first, then you'll eat. You will get better after you eat and drink," he replied, never taking his eyes from her.  
  
"Why are we here?" she asked softly.  
  
He kneeled back down to be level with her eyes again. "I told you, woman. You let yourself go too long without food or drink. I'm fixing it."  
  
"Why are you taking care of me? I was getting a drink back at Kaede's, I remember," she said.  
  
He snorted at her. "You are very bad at taking care of yourself. That water is not fresh. You need fresh water. I brought you here to the river for fresh water. You remember this place, where you went 'swimming?" He emphasized the word 'swimming' with sarcasm.  
  
She caught his little chastisement and smiled meekly, nodding. "Yes, I remember. The water felt wonderful."  
  
"Hmph! You could have frozen to death, you stupid wench! Now stay while I get you more water."  
  
He got up and brought her back another ladle full, still not letting her hold it herself. He did this five times more before he was satisfied that she could take a break from drinking.  
  
"Now eat," he said, producing her protein bar. She was surprised to see that he brought this, and smiled at him, touched by how thoughtful he was being.  
  
"Inuyasha it was very sweet of you to bring that with you, but I'm not hungry now, I think I'll wait till–"  
  
"I said eat, woman!" he said, shredding the wrapper with his fingernail and removing it. The bar felt sticky against his skin and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "This looks and smells terrible. I wish you had better food!"  
  
"Oh Inuyasha!" she said smiling. "They're really good once you get used to them. I'm just not hungry yet."  
  
"I said eat and I mean it, Kagome. If you don't I'll force you."  
  
He studied her reaction to his threat carefully. Her eyes widen in alarm, but then she smiled and shrugged in acquiescence. He knew it was possible she could send him flying backwards if she wanted to, but he also didn't believe she wanted to.  
  
"Okay, you win!" she laughed. "Give me my damn food, bossy!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him.  
  
"Tsk! You shouldn't be rude to someone who's caring for you." he reprimanded her, working on keeping his face straight.  
  
After she took a bite of the bar, eating and swallowing half of it, she looked up at him again and asked the question he hadn't answered for her.  
  
"That's what I want to know--Why are you taking care of me?"  
  
"Why can't you take care of yourself?  
  
"I can!" she said, raising her voice in offense. "I don't need you to–"  
  
"Yes you do. You do need me to take care of you. You were very sick. You used too much energy running and focusing your powers today. You drained your body woman, do you know that?!" His voice was raised now too, lecturing her.  
  
"I have plenty of reasons to be angry with you Kagome!" he said, his eyes now flashing.  
  
Kagome closed her own eyes and looked down. "Inuyasha please, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I know you're angry that I called you Michael and I understand why. It was stupid and thoughtless and I've said it already, but you won't listen–"I'm sorry!"  
  
"NO DAMN IT!" He yelled at her, his face very close to hers. "I'm not talking about THAT, I'm talking about you leaving Kaede's after I told you to wait there, running for far longer than you usually run in one day, using your powers too much, and not even taking the time to stop for a fucking drink of water! You are a stupid little bitch and you need me to take care of you!"  
  
She was angry now and she could feel the tears willing their way to the surface of her eyes again. 'No, damn it, no! He will not make me cry, even if he calls me horrible names, I will not give him that satisfaction!'  
  
She looked at him with a steely gaze. He could smell her tears, but they didn't come. He watched her, waiting for the crying to begin, waiting to feel miserable for being so mean to her when all he wanted to do was–  
  
"Inuyasha! Where I go, when I run and when and how much I eat and drink are MY business, not YOURS! You don't own me, damn it!"  
  
He looked at her, suddenly and deeply hurt. No, he didn't own her. Not yet, but he wanted to. If only he could tell her what he wanted, to show her how he truly felt. . . He knew he couldn't let her know, at least not until he felt certain that telling her wouldn't cause her even deeper confusion. If they mated, he wanted to be certain she would have no regrets afterwards. He loved her and wanted her as a life-mate, but he couldn't do anything about it unless he knew she felt the same way.  
  
He looked back up at her, still hurting from her rebuff. It felt like too much like a denial of his unspoken desires. What if she truly didn't want him? His heart raced with dread as he thought about this. Ever since he had found her, she had pushed him away. She had other men--too many. Maybe she wanted her human man after all, or maybe it was the protector Michael who seemed to loom in her thoughts always, even when she was kissing him. She kept pushing him back, keeping secrets to distance herself from him. This hurt and angered him deeply. Why wouldn't she stop? He decided it was time to ask her for the truth to another secret:  
  
"Why did you run away with Sango when you were sick?" he demanded.  
  
She looked startled by this, and he heard her heart rate rise in fear. He had quickly come to predict when she wanted to lie to him. He had exacted a promise from her just a few hours earlier, but would she honor it now? He knew she had no idea how well he could read her, that this was a test of sorts. He waited, hoping:  
  
"Please don't lie now, Kagome."  
  
She looked down to hide her blush and in a voice so small it was almost a whisper, she said, "I didn't want you to see how weak I was. After fighting I could barely walk or see. I was ashamed by my weakness."  
  
He looked at her in astonishment. "You were ashamed?" he said.  
  
She didn't look up to meet his eyes, but nodded. Her tears that had been threatening, finally came. She instantly felt even more ashamed and weak. She raised her hands to her eyes trying to cover them, embarrassed at the complete lack of control she was showing. She felt so foolish and useless, and wished he would just leave her alone now.  
  
He grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her eyes, shocking her and forcing her to look up at him, to show him her tear-stained face.  
  
"Kagome," he said, "I don't think you're weak. I don't think that at all. He brought his face very close to hers, his eyes tracking with hers, not letting go. "You have amazing strength for a human and a miko, and I've never seen anyone more courageous in battle than you were today."  
  
After a moment, he continued, his eyes still intensely locked onto her own.  
  
"You're not weak at all, Kagome, but you are confused. You lie and keep secrets to hide your confusion. You lie to hide from me. You even hide from yourself." She was stunned and baffled by his words. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about Inuyasha," she said, earnestly.  
  
"I think you do," he said, his voice a husky whisper as he brought his mouth to hers in a sudden kiss.  
  
The kiss was not soft or slow, like earlier ones, but hard and deep. He pressed his mouth into hers so insistently she felt the tips of his fangs brush her lips, leaving her breathless. His lips were soft, wet and warm. She tasted him and shuddered with pleasure.  
  
Her heartbeat rose with her excitement. Never had she felt anything like this, she never even dreamed of it. She wanted more, desperately wanted to feel his arms around her, to melt into him and never stop this kiss. This is what she had wanted for so long, and now that it was happening, she didn't want him to stop. She urgently wanted to feel his body close to hers, her need for this feeling and mounting desire for him rising. "Please, don't let him stop now. . . ," her mind willed.  
  
He pulled away, and holding her arms firmly, he watched her pant, trying to catch her breath. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes almost black with the passion he brought out in her. She was beautiful and he wanted to take her desperately. Seeing her bite back her need for him was almost unbearable. He breathed hard and struggled for control as he willed himself to speak, not kiss:  
  
"You are confused," he repeated. "You need to think. I will give you some time."  
  
She blinked at him in disbelief. Whatever had just happened here was like a dream, unreal. His words made no sense. Yes, she was confused, damn confused. After what he just did to her, she had every right to be.  
  
"Inuyasha, please–what should I think about what just happened now?"  
  
He looked at her and shook his head. "Kagome, you shouldn't think. You should FEEL. This is enough. I'm taking you back, now."  
  
He stood up and waited for her to stand, watching to see that she wasn't still weak. She felt weak, as she stood, but from the passion of his kiss and her spinning thoughts, not from the day. The drink and nourishment he gave her allowed her spiritual abilities to heal her body much quicker than most people. She wasn't back to full-strength, but she wasn't in danger of getting sick anymore either.  
  
'I'm only in danger of wanting what I can't have. He has no idea what he does to me, how I feel about him still. I want HIM–so much, he's all I want. I wish. . . . NO! NO! I won't do this! I won't wish for what I can't have. I'm not a child anymore. I just have to make him stop. He's too amazing and I want him too much. I'm here for a reason, and loving him isn't it–not the way I want to love him now.'  
  
Her mind raced with raw emotions and confusion as he encircled his arm around her waist and leapt into the sky, heading back to Kaede's once more.  
  
Top of Form | |  
  
Bottom of Form 


	19. Games of Domination

Authors Note: Hi there—I wasn't planning on posting another chapter so soon, but I wanted to respond again to reviewers, and thought "why not?!"  
  
Anyway, to Imataki, a message: Please, please, please don't think I took any offense at your reasonable objection to the whole time-travel issue! Was I pissy about that? I truly didn't mean to be! You have been a VERY supportive reader/reviewer, and I truly understand what you meant—I'm just glad you like the story at all in spite of this glaring fault that I have no way of fixing (or even fully comprehending unless I sit down and talk to someone face-to-face for several hours). I meant it when I said you have inspired me to endeavor harder with future projects and think about taking the time to do background research (as any serious, good writer does)!  
  
Also, to Lady Banshee 999—Thanks for pointing out a chapter was missing. I have re-posted!  
  
And as always, thanks to all reviewers!  
  
_________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 19 Games of Domination  
  
Her mind raced as he held her firmly. 'What the hell is going on here?! I've known Inuyasha a long time. He's no flirt and he doesn't play games. Why is he doing this?' He was right about one thing, she was confused. It was all his fault, too. After everything that had happened, how could he do this to her? Surely he had to know that deep down she was still vulnerable to him. It had been a long time ago, yes, but her feelings for him were still there. She had matured in the way she was able to handle them, but seeing him again, she knew she had to be careful. If anything the intensity of emotion had deepened over time.  
  
How long ago was it, two, no–three days ago that he came back into her life? Thinking that the same two years had passed for him on his side of the well, she told him everything for the chance to make things right again between them. She told him she knew he made a commitment to Kikyo, that she left in anger, that she left because she loved him and it hurt too much to see him give his love to someone else, even if it was her previous self.  
  
But she had a life now, damn it! A life and commitments of her own, and she was not about to allow herself to act like some over sheltered, naive teenager with her first crush. No. Whatever his reasons were, she wasn't playing anymore. She told herself she was a woman now, a medical student with a bright future, a woman with powers she didn't ask for, but had a responsibility to use nonetheless, and a sensible fiancé waiting for her. Paul made sense.  
  
Even Michael made more sense. It was true, she had been confused about him from time to time, but he never did this to her, never took advantage of her weak, human emotions. He had told her once, playfully, that he wanted to kiss her. They had been playing chess, and she had him in checkmate, although she suspected he was letting her win.  
  
***********************************************  
  
. . . ."Kay love, you know what I'm thinking now?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I'm thinking that if losing to you means I get to see you smile like that, I wouldn't mind a lifetime of it."  
  
"Michael! Quit! Do you ever stop flirting?"  
  
"With you Kay? Never. I would if I could kiss you just once Kay, but that's one thing I'm not allowed. It's a dreadful rule, and whenever I'm with you I feel it most cruelly!"  
  
"Are you telling me it's against some kind of code of conduct for angels to get involved with humans?"  
  
"Romantically involved, yes, and breaking that rule costs eternal existence."  
  
"Oh, I see. . . . Well, you are and can be my friend Michael, and that's enough."  
  
"Speak for yourself love. . ."  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Inuyasha sensed a change in Kagome as he held her. She had gone from excited to distracted. He knew she was thinking, and suspected he knew who she was thinking about. The look in her eyes told him her mind was not in the Feudal Era.  
  
Kagome came back from her daydream and stiffened in Inuyasha's arms. 'If Michael has rules, Inuyasha should too,' she thought, with growing anger. 'He will not toy with me and I won't be distracted from what I'm here to do. I'm here on a mission. I'll do my job, and I'll leave. That's it. To hell with these games of his!'  
  
When they landed at Kaede's, Kagome quickly said, "Please let go of me now." The coolness in her voice was a little stronger than she meant and it surprised her as much as his reaction did.  
  
He spun her around by the waist to face him.  
  
"I meant what I said. I'm giving you time to think." She couldn't fathom his expression, a mixture of sincerity and something else–desperation? hope? What the hell did he want from her now?  
  
Whatever it was, he wasn't getting it.  
  
"I'll speak with you later, Inuyasha," she said, her eyes flashing. She stepped back from him agilely, turning her body so he lost his grasp on her. She heard the sound of his fingernails ripping into her waistband as she broke away, but paid no attention and felt no pain if she was scratched. "Right now I need a bath. I'm going to see if Sango wants to come with me."  
  
She almost added "You stay here," but knew she didn't need to. Her meaning and tone were clear enough. He said he was giving her some time, whatever that meant, and she was damn well taking it to get away from him, right now.  
  
Miroku and Shippo had made it back to camp and greeted her as she walked toward them, Shippo asking if it was alright to hug her now. "Of course Shippo. I'm sorry I was so tired before. I love your hugs!"  
  
Inuyasha heard her and grimaced. Why did she have to be so attentive to the clingy brat? Deep down, Inuyasha cared in his own way for the child and showed it as best he could. He was distant, aloof, forbidding and punitive, very much the way his own father had treated him.  
  
Miroku and Kagome seemed to have reached a new understanding. As long as he didn't try to grope her any longer they could be cordial, friendly even. Also, he would be permitted to continue living, something the monk valued even more than feeling up a woman.  
  
Sango and Kaede had prepared a meal for the group inside Kaede's hut, and were very happy and relieved to hear Kagome was back and feeling better.  
  
Kaede went back inside and came back with a brown sack. "This belongs to you, child. I have kept it for you these long months, but now would feel greatly relieved if you took it back."  
  
Kagome took the sack and looked inside. Her old necklace with the vial of shards lay at the bottom of the rough bag. Kagome gave Kaede a serious nod. "Thank you, Kaede for keeping these in your trust and care in my absence."  
  
She picked up the necklace and dropped it back in the sack. The pulse from the many tiny shards was overwhelming, a drum-beating frantically in her hand and head. The shards were calling to her, wanting her to hold them. She was shocked by the experience and found herself shaking.  
  
"Are you alright Kagome?" Kaede asked, noticing she looked stricken by something.  
  
"Yes," Kagome nodded. "The way I feel the shards has changed. I noticed it earlier. The connection is stronger, I think. It's very intense. I need some time to get used to it."  
  
Kaede nodded in understanding. Although he made no move to approach her, Inuyasha's ears swiveled up the moment Kaede gave her the shards. He heard and watched her reaction, wondering with concern what it meant. 'Is it because her miko powers are stronger now that she's older, or is it something else?'  
  
Kagome walked over to the guest hut, asking Sango to follow her.  
  
Once inside, Kagome asked Sango if she wanted to take a bath with her after dinner.  
  
Sango smiled and eagerly agreed. Although the hot springs were very close, she didn't give herself the luxury of spending time there too often. Normally she just washed with some well water or occasionally, by the river. It had been a long time since she had done something fun with Kagome, and, after today, she felt like they had all earned a break.  
  
Kagome smiled warmly. "Great! I want to give you something then before we go."  
  
Sango looked at her in surprise.  
  
"I'll take it out and show you after dinner. It's part of Miroku's behavior-modification plan. It's called a bathing suit."  
  
************************************************  
  
The group settled round the fire to eat their meal. Kagome made two cups of ramen as a treat for Inuyasha to go with his venison stew. Although she was angry at him and planned on keeping her distance, she couldn't help allowing herself the pleasure of watching him eat ramen. And, no matter how upset he was with her, he never turned it down when she offered.  
  
She ate her own mango yogurt bar and a small salad of herbs Kaede had prepared for her. They were bitter and naturally spicy, the perfect compliment to her meal. Her friends still shot her glances, disbelieving that she could eat and enjoy such a meal.  
  
Finishing before the rest of the group, she went back inside and brought out her guitar. Shippo jumped up and down, excitedly.  
  
"Are you going to teach me now?!" he asked.  
  
She smiled at him. "Come on Shippo. It's time for your first lesson."  
  
Although the guitar was too large for the child, she sat him in his lap and showed him how to hold it, explaining the strings made differently pitched sounds called 'notes' and that by applying pressure to different combinations of strings with one hand on the neck, and then brushing the strings across the opening with her other hands, pleasant sounds called 'chords' were produced.  
  
She showed him the fingering for four chords, and was surprised by how quickly he was able to imitate her. Pressing his tiny hands on the steel strings seemed to cause him no discomfort.  
  
'I guess fox-demons are born with perfect hearing and ready finger calluouses!' She beamed at him. "Shippo you're a natural! You'll be playing in no time!"  
  
He smiled back happily. "Kagome, would you please play another song for me like you did last night?"  
  
Kagome smiled again and ruffled his fur on his head. "Sure little one!" she said happily.  
  
The night was dark and still, the sounds of the crackling fire and a chorus of cicadas a music all its own. She watched the rest of her friends, still huddled around their bowls of food, and sitting by the fire, talking in low, contented tones.  
  
They spoke again about the earlier battle, and ventured guesses about Naraku's latest plan. So little had happened in the past month, and now, they had killed a demon the likes of which they had never encountered before. There were new whisperings in the village of other demon attacks, too. Miroku brought up the question on everyone's mind:  
  
"I wonder, could it be more than a coincidence that Naraku's making his presence know again now that Lady Kagome is back?"  
  
Inuyasha felt sure he knew the answer and he gave an audible growl as instinctively, a rush of protectiveness and fear for Kagome overrode his other senses. His human friends looked at him in surprise, but all three seemed to understand what he was feeling. His intentions toward Kagome were clear to everyone it seemed, with the exception of Kagome herself.  
  
A few yards away, Kagome began playing the guitar and singing to Shippo. The song she played and sang was Loreena McKennit's "The Mummer's Dance."  
  
The group stopped talking to listen. They found themselves enchanted by the melody, the haunting beauty of her voice, the sound of her hand strumming the strings and drumming the rhythm of the song's lyrics on the guitar. No one was effected as Inuyasha was. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She played with her head bent forward so that her long, black hair surrounded her, falling to her lap. He saw firelight flicker and dance on her hair. She was singing with her eyes closed and Shippo in her lap, it was the most beautiful, and most moving thing he had ever seen. He didn't know he could cry any longer. He hadn't cried since he was a small child, but now, hot tears came to his eyes, tears of pain, tears of joy. What this woman could do to him, make him feel, was beyond reason. Scenes from his childhood, from battles, a precious memory of Kikyo in the moonlight before she died, many memories of a younger Kagome, fresh ones of Kagome from the last few days. It was like his life were held in her voice, unfolding across the strings at the touch of her fingers.  
  
It was more than he could bear. He wanted her to stop and never stop, as his heart rushed in wave after wave of intense sadness, intoxicating joy.  
  
When she stopped playing, everyone was speechless for a moment. Shippo nuzzled in close to her chest and spoke first. He whispered "Thank you, mother."  
  
Kagome was startled by this. The child said these words to her so naturally, with unselfconscious ease. Kagome blinked, wide-eyed. She didn't know what to think. Instead, she felt. She felt him against her now, felt the memory of seeing him almost die this afternoon before her anger took over. It was her own possessive feelings toward him, her own love, that allowed her to find the energy she needed to get to him. Yes, she realized, this was natural. She hadn't seen him in two years, but not a day had passed when she hadn't thought of him, hadn't smiled thinking about him, worried over how he was and who was caring for him. Being with him again, she realized the truth–she might be a young mother, but she was all he had now. "Your welcome, Shippo," she cooed down to him softly.  
  
She looked up smiling and was startled to see Inuyasha was towering over her, firelight flickering in his eyes. They seemed larger shinier than usual and almost--wet?. She waited anxiously for him to speak. The cicada's call grew louder. He looked strange. Was he angry at her again? What had she done wrong?  
  
Finally, she couldn't take the suspense of watching him watch her. "Inuyasha?" she asked.  
  
He kept his gaze on her, breathing hard, still feeling the turmoil and heat from the emotions she cut fresh in him with her singing. She looked tranquil, clearly unaware of the pain she had just caused him, both physical and emotional. He addressed her in a tone of cold command, his anger evident although controlled.  
  
"I said I would give you some time, woman. I will not wait too long for you to decide."  
  
"Inuyasha! Decide what? What are you talking about?!" She was beside herself with confusion and her own irritation with him. What the hell did he mean by this, and why was he acting this way?  
  
He didn't answer her, but turned abruptly and took off in the air, heading for the dark cover of the forest.  
  
Kagome looked across at her friends, speechless. They all stared back, witnesses to the strange scene that had just played out between Inuyasha and herself.  
  
"Does anybody have a clue what the hell his problem is?" she asked flushing angrily.  
  
All three adults averted their eyes and an awkward silence enveloped her, broken only by Shippo.  
  
"The big dummy likes you. He's such a rude jerk he just doesn't know how to say it."  
  
Kagome patted him on the head and laughed dryly. "Well, I don't know about that Shippo. He didn't act like he likes me very much at all, but I'm not going to worry about it now, I'm going to get ready for a bath."  
  
She stood up and went into the hut. After exchanging meaningful glances with Miroku, Sango followed her.  
  
"Um Kagome," Sango said tentatively, "Are you okay?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "I don't know about the rest of it, but Shippo's right about one thing, Inuyasha can be a rude jerk."  
  
Sango smiled and looked quizzically at her friend, "So you really don't know what he was talking about earlier?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "Sango, I don't have a clue. I haven't had a clue since we've been back. He's been acting strange, different than I remember him and even different than he did when he was with me in my time. I know something's up with him, but he won't talk to me. He expects me to be some kind of a hanyou mind-reader and I'm not."  
  
"Shall we talk about it now?" Sango asked, giving Kagome a sympathetic look.  
  
"No. I don't want to talk about Inuyasha right now. I want to talk about you and Miroku if you're ready.'  
  
Sango blushed slightly and looked away, but nodded yes.  
  
"Good. I'm going to explain a little bit about modern psychology in my time and a little something we call 'response conditioning.'  
  
***************************************************  
  
After almost an hour of talking, giggling, screaming, and whispering, the two women emerged from the hut, ready to walk to the hot-springs. Shippo remained behind in the hut with Kaede, drawing and eating the chocolate bar Kagome bribed him with. He wanted to come along and bathe, but he didn't argue with Kagome when she said she and Sango had some "adult business" to take care of. Kagome was in the lead, carrying her beach bag and two towels. Sango held back trying to hide behind her, a furious blush creeping across her face.  
  
"Come on Sango! It's now or never. Do you want to let him get away with being a letch forever?"  
  
"No," she replied resolutely, "but–"  
  
"No but's. Walk."  
  
Sango gave a little smile realizing that Kagome was very good at this. She realized after their talk that despite her apparent blindness where Inuyasha was concerned, her friend was actually much more worldly in her knowledge of male behavior than Sango dreamed. In human male behavior Kagome was a confident expert. She was Sango's tutor in this arena, and it was amazing to think the girl who was younger than her only four weeks ago was, by almost every measure, now older. She knew Kagome was promised to a man in her time, Inuyasha had told them that her first day back. Listening to her, she sounded already like an experienced wife, not a maiden. Sango had the strongest urge to ask her friend if she had personal knowledge in these areas, but decided it was best not to pry.  
  
'Besides,' she thought. 'If Kagome had been with a man like that, Inuyasha would know and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be quiet about it either.'  
  
As the women stepped out of the hut into the chilly night, more than one pair of male eyes observed them.  
  
Miroku floated over, his eyes like saucers, his mouth open in a stupified grin.  
  
Kagome moved to the side to expose her friend to his leering eyes. "Just remember what we've practiced," she whispered to Sango.  
  
Sango wanted nothing more than to back out, but now it was too late. She stood beside Kagome, dressed in only a tiny, black string bikini and a garment she called a "cover-up." The women's cover-ups extended down to their mid thighs and were sheer, billowy, long-sleeve shirts with no buttons and absolutely no 'covering' ability.  
  
"WHAT, may I ask in the name of all the gods of pleasure, are you ladies wearing?" He asked smiling.  
  
"Miroku, women who wish to bath in public places wear these in my time. They're called bathing suits. These garments allow the skin maximum contact with water and sunshine while providing discreet covering."  
  
There was nothing discreet about the scanty covering. In fact, Miroku noticed, his heart racing, the two women in front of him looked decidedly more-naked than if they were naked. He was careful not to look directly in Kagome's direction, but Sango was mesmerizing him anyway. The luscious curves of her cleavage, her waist, her hips, her perfect thighs. She was a goddess, a priestess of love, standing before him. More than anything, he wanted to offer himself in worship.  
  
"Sango," Kagome prodded, "Isn't there something you want to say to Miroku?"  
  
Sango was fighting the urges to run, to beat Miroku unconscious to wipe the happy grin from his face, and to throw up.  
  
"Now, Sango?!" Kagome commanded.  
  
"Miroku," Sango began with her eyes tightly closed and breathing so fast Kagome thought she would hyperventilate–  
  
"Yes my beautiful Sango?–"the monk said, unable to contain his excitement.  
  
"Do you like me? Do you like what you see now?" Oh gods, she couldn't believe Kagome had talked her into saying that! She wanted to die.  
  
"More than anything I have ever witnessed before! I worship you, Sango! I adore you!"  
  
He fell to his knees at her feet and Kagome covered her mouth to suppress her giggle. He was so damn smitten with her, this was going to do the poor guy in.  
  
Sango blushed again, but peeked through her closed eyes down at him. He really seemed to mean it.  
  
"Can you prove it to me?"  
  
"Sango, at this moment I'm prepared to die before you to prove my feelings!" he said gazing up at the vision of her.  
  
'Hmm. . . . I think Kagome really has hit on something here–if this works then it really is worth it!' she thought.  
  
She smiled down at him and let out a deep breath. "I don't want you to die, Miroku. I just want you to stop looking at and chasing after every woman you see. If you like what you see now with me, if after almost two years in my company you like me, then I demand you show me respect. You will never grope me again, make lude comments, or stare at me like a letch. Can you do all that?"  
  
"Sango. I love what I see. You are an amazing woman, and yes, I will prove to you I can be worthy of your affection!"  
  
"Good. Because if you can do this and really stick to it, you'll get a reward," she said.  
  
Kagome couldn't have been prouder at Sango's perfect delivery. Here was the sticker:  
  
"A reward?" He asked in shocked hopefulness. "How do you mean my Lady Sango?"  
  
"If you can prove yourself to me by sticking to your word for an entire week, then at the end of the week, I'll give you—I'll give you—"she faltered. Kagome kicked her shin. "A kiss."  
  
Miroku coughed and, for the first time, reddened. "You–you would actually allow me to kiss you?" he said nervously.  
  
"No. I said I would give you a kiss, like this–"She bent toward him, her exposed cleavage positioned right above his face, and kissed him quickly on the forehead.  
  
He gasped and reddened deeply, looking down at the ground. "I–I can't believe that just happened. You kissed me. You really did!"  
  
"Yes. And if you do what I say, You get one at the end of the week."  
  
"Every week?"  
  
"Only if you can keep to your promises."  
  
"Sango, I can assure you, with this kind of motivation I will have no problem whatsoever keeping this most promising of promises, but may I ask if in addition to the uhm, most delightful rewards there is a chance for—"  
  
"Stop right there!" Sango yelled. "You better not say or suggest anything else, you hear me?"  
  
"Yes, yes of course! I'm sorry! My excitement was getting the better of me."  
  
"Miroku, you better learn how to control your "excitement," otherwise, no rewards and I might ask Kagome to punish you!"  
  
He looked up at the smiling miko in horror. "Lady Kagome? What? How?! Please, ladies! That won't be necessary!"  
  
Kagome wanted to say something just because he looked so silly, in the dirt on his knees before them, blushing madly and looking scared to death. She knew that if this was going to work, it was Sango's voice he needed to be conditioned to and hers alone. Besides, she liked playing the bad cop.  
  
"Show me you mean your vow. Don't disappoint me, Miroku," Sango said, a small smile playing on her lips as she glanced down at him. Now that she saw how well this was working, her confidence was growing with her power.  
  
"Yes," he nodded, "I mean NO! NO! I won't disappoint you Sango! You are the only woman I care about. I have felt this way for a long time, I just didn't know how to let you know but now I do. I will show you!"  
  
His face was looking at hers, pleading for mercy.  
  
"Miroku–"  
  
"Yes, lovely Sango–"  
  
"You can get up now."  
  
He nodded and slowly rose to his feet, looking down at his hands.  
  
"Kagome and I are going swimming. You won't try to follow us or peek because you have already seen, right?"  
  
He nodded meekly, not even bothering to look up. He was truly amazed. Sango had just changed all the rules, it was her game now. She knew exactly how he felt. His tactics of groping and teasing to hide his feelings were suddenly useless. She had given him only one chance to win, but he was determined to do whatever it took to win her heart.  
  
Inuyasha watched the scene unfold before him with a mixture of anger and amusement. He was in a tree at the edge of the clearing, invisible t the others but able to see and hear everything. He blushed furiously seeing Kagome so exposed. This was more of her than was even visible when she had been singing at the club. This outfit left nothing to the imagination. Gods! She looked incredible. Miroku deserved to die for seeing her so, and he thought about ripping him to shreds but realized the monk had no real blame in this. This was all Kagome's doing. As he listened and watched, he also understood why the women were doing this. Maybe this would change the letch. No amount of beating had done that. Now that their game with him was over, he watched her almost naked form, her sinuous legs, as she walked. His feelings toward her were already aroused, and, with her scent and taste from their last kiss still fresh on him, he watched her with an intensity with which he had never gazed upon a woman before.  
  
Then it hit him. His eyes grew round and huge with fury as he sensed what was unmistakable on her, even from this distance. He narrowed his eyes. It was faint, without power or freshness, but it was still there. In a flash, he jumped down out of the tree, landing on this haunches in front of her, just outside what he now knew was the circle of her protective barrier. His eyes never left her, and they were rapidly darkening in an angry storm, threatening to turn pure-demon red as he growled at her.  
  
She gasped in fright, and Sango startled too.  
  
He stayed low, growling.  
  
"I-Inu-yasha? What's wrong with you?"  
  
"HOW COULD YOU?!" He boomed.  
  
She was baffled and truly frightened. He had been acting strangely all day, but this was beyond strange. Her terror was growing that he was going to turn into a full-demon right there in front of her. What was worse, he didn't even seem to notice or care. He wasn't even trying to reach for Tetsusaiga to stave-off a transformation.  
  
"Inuyasha! Stop! You're scaring me!  
  
"THERE!" he said, pointing at her.  
  
"INUYASHA, Please, what are you–"  
  
Before she could react he grabbed her, was holding her around the waist. She didn't want to hurt him now like she did before, but if he didn't stop this, she didn't know if she could help herself from fearing him.  
  
"THERE!" he yelled, bringing his hand down and pressing firmly at the juncture of her neck and shoulder on her left side.  
  
"WHO THE FUCK WAS THERE KAGOME?!" he demanded.  
  
She decided he must be sick. He was sick and this was beyond his control. Some sort of rare demon illness. She tried to calm down, tried to think of a way to reach him.  
  
"ANSWER ME, YOU DAMNED BITCH!" He was shaking her and now Sango, Miroku, Shippo and an awakened Kaede looked on in concern.  
  
"Inuyasha," she whispered, shaking, "please I really don't know what you're talking about!"  
  
"I'M TALKING ABOUT THE FUCK WHO TRIED TO MARK YOU THERE! WHO THE HELL DID THAT?!"  
  
In horrified understanding, Kagome looked at him with an anger she had never felt before. Her blush was furious, a match for her feelings.  
  
She spun out of his grasp, getting scratched in several places in the process, as she jumped out of his reach and slapped him as hard as she could with her left hand. She felt her ring-stone connect with his cheek, and felt her hand sting with the force of the impact as she dropped it. She hoped it hurt him at least as much as it hurt her.  
  
"NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU GOD-DAMNED HANYOU BASTARD!" she screamed back at him, enraged.  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK I DO WITH MY FIANCÉE IS MY OWN GOD-DAMNED BUSINESS, NOT YOURS!" Hot, angry, tears poured down her face. "You just leave me the hell alone, Inuyasha," she said in a low, threatening voice. "I don't want you near me, understand!"  
  
She left him standing there, stunned, as she picked up her beach bag and ran through the clearing toward the springs.  
  
Everyone stood frozen for a minute and then Sango glanced at Inuyasha, meeting his eyes for only an instant before he looked away from her, arms folded tightly across his chest. With a nod to Kaede, she left on the dark footpath, following Kagome. 


	20. Revalations in Water

Author's note: I want to apologize for the long delay between updates. I have to admit to doing almost no new writing on this story as of late, but I still have six more completed chapters to edit and post after this one. I will try to get one up every week or so, and will do my best to get this story moving forward once more.  
  
I offer this in friendship--nothing can impress upon you the urgency to live and love with joy and reverence as watching someone you care for succumb to illness. Life is oh so precious, delight in it and be mindful of it always, both on and off line.  
  
Chapter 20 Revelations in Water  
  
Kagome was already in the water when Sango reached her. Her hair was piled high with a clip on top of her head, and she sat on a submerged rock, her head back and eyes closed.  
  
"Kagome?" Sango said. Kagome opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes were swollen from crying and red-rimmed, promising to spill more tears at any second. She was feeling tears of sympathy stinging in her own eyes for her dearest friend. How could it be that the same young woman who just helped her turn Miroku into jelly would find herself in this kind of relationship predicament?  
  
She climbed down into the water beside her, reached up, and gave Kagome a hug of support.  
  
Kagome did cry again. Sango held her until she was ready to let go and wipe her eyes.  
  
"Damn him and his canine super-senses! I can't believe he could see anything. There isn't any kind of a mark anymore! How could he see something that hasn't been there for almost a year?!"  
  
Sango shrugged. "He is half-demon Kagome, and his senses are much better than ours."  
  
"Still I can't believe he did that to me–Sango, I've never felt so humiliated in all my life!"  
  
Sango smiled. "Kagome, you shouldn't feel that way. You did nothing wrong. Whatever happened between you and your–uhm, 'feeancee' is your business, you're right about that."  
  
"I still don't understand how he could see THAT. I never wanted anyone to see it," she said, looking down miserably into the dark water."  
  
Her friend's comment confused Sango. "Kagome," she began delicately, "your um, promised mate is full-human, right?" Kagome looked shocked by the question.  
  
"Yes of course! There aren't many demons in my time, you know, and even if there were do you think I'd go out with one?"  
  
'Hmm. . . how should I answer that? I guess it would depend on the type of demon, like a half-dog demon in her time, for instance.' Sango thought.  
  
"No. Of course not. That's not what I meant. It's just unusual what Inuyasha said, that's all."  
  
Kagome looked puzzled.  
  
"Do humans in your time mark each other when they mate?"  
  
Oh, now she got it. "No!" she said, actually laughing a bit. "What Paul did to me though is pretty common, especially in America, the country he's from. It's called a 'hickey.'  
  
"A hickey?" Sango repeated. She didn't like the sound of the word.  
  
"Yeah, it's kind of a stupid, macho, immature high-school thing. If a boy and a girl are making out–"  
  
"Making out?" Sango interrupted.  
  
Kagome could feel herself blushing even though the hot water probably covered it. "Uh, that means kissing and other stuff that sometimes leads to–"  
  
Sango cut her off again with a wave of her hand, nodding an affirmative that she understood and didn't need to be told more.  
  
". . . .well," Kagome continued, "sometimes when couples make out one of them gets carried away and just sort of sucks on the other's neck in the same place until a large, dark purple spot appears. It's sort of like a love-bite without biting. Some teens do it as a way to proclaim that the person they are with is off-limits to others or as a way of letting the world now they are 'sexual adults.' It's really pretty stupid."  
  
"I see," Sango replied, carefully. "So humans in your time do, in fact, mark mates.  
  
Kagome was stupefied. "NO! We don't! I mean, well, not exactly, but sometimes, well, I guess, yeah, they do."  
  
Her calm demeanor in the face of frank sex talk was quickly faltering.  
  
"Is the neck the only place it's done, or do you mark each other with "hick- keys" in other places?"  
  
Kagome looked at her normally shy, reserved friend, aghast as all color drained from her face.  
  
"SANGO! I can't believe YOU just said that!"  
  
"Kagmome," she said quickly, looking away, "I didn't mean to cause you discomfort, I was just curious if it was something that you—"  
  
"NO!—I mean, yes, I suppose a hickey can be given anywhere, but I haven't, I don't, and frankly, I hated it. I never want to sport one on my neck again!"  
  
"Kagome, if you feel this way, why did you let–"  
  
Kagome interrupted her. "I didn't let him Sango. I was passed out, drunk when it happened."  
  
"Oh," Sango said, tensing and looking down at the water.  
  
Kagome blushed again, realizing she was giving her friend the wrong idea. "Sango, it's not what you're thinking! I don't really drink, ever. Paul took me hiking in this place called 'The Grand Canyon.' Sango, it was so amazing. There's no place like it on earth. Try to picture a mountain in shades of orange, red, yellows, and brown rocks, and now turn it inside out and stand on top, looking down into a green valley and sparkling blue river below. That's what The Grand Canyon is."  
  
Sango furrowed her brow, trying to picture a mountain from the inside-out and couldn't do it.  
  
Kagome laughed as her friend's wrinkled brow. "I'll bring you some photos from our trip when I come back so you can see. It's too unbelievable to imagine. Anyway, we spent the day hiking to the bottom and we were camping out under the stars. The stars there are like here, bright and so beautiful. Not like modern Tokyo. Anyway, he brought a bottle of wine, and over the fire and under the stars, I had a glass. It was so romantic. Anyway, I guess I don't handle it very well, because the next thing I remember Paul was, well. . . . excited. He was holding me and kissing me and trying to take my shirt off."  
  
Sango stared at her friend in shock. "Kagome did he . . . .?"  
  
"Oh no! I woke up, and when I realized what we were doing, I asked him to stop and he did, right away. He was a little drunk too, but he was still a gentleman about stopping."  
  
"Kagome, it doesn't sound like he was a gentleman to me–it sounds like he was taking advantage of you!"  
  
"I know," she winced. "It sounds bad, but trust me, he was really embarrassed and kept apologizing for it. He sent me flowers each day for two weeks after I got back to Japan, and from America, that is a huge cost. I had this really huge, ugly hickey on my neck though and it lasted for weeks, probably over a month before the damn thing finally disappeared. It was summertime too, and so trying to wear clothes to cover it was uncomfortable, and believe me, no amount of make-up could hide it. My mother freaked-out when she saw it, and my friends at the dorm gave me hell about having a 'hot time' with Chloe's cousin in the states."  
  
Sango didn't understand everything Kagome just said, but she understood enough. And, in the dark forest canopy above them, Inuyasha understood enough of what had happened to her too. He was still very-much on edge, his instincts and feelings heightened toward her. Her anger earlier had thoroughly shocked him. He had never seen her act like that, talk like that, or hit like that before. His face still stung from the cut he received from her ring, but not as much as his pride. He had every right to feel the way he felt about sensing that damn mark, especially after making his desire clear to her. He was angered to see the mark, but it was very weak and meant nothing, especially knowing she had never mated. Still, knowing who she had been with was his right. He hadn't expected her response, her anger. He thought her human man meant nothing to her, but when she said he had done this to her and it was none of his business, it sounded like she had decided to mate with him after all.  
  
Her words and her anger made him ache with pain. Did she mean what she said, she really did not want him near her? He felt like he had been run through with his own sword as he watched her leave. Even so, he wasn't about to leave her alone and unprotected. He had promised himself and her that he would look out for her, even if she didn't want to be near him, even if she was choosing her human man. He wasn't about to risk anything catching her unaware before the spell was triggered.  
  
He sat now in a tree above them, eyes glowing. 'Sango's right. That bastard took advantage of her. He marked her and he would have done a hell of a lot more if she hadn't woken up when she did. If I ever see this man, I'll make sure he pays for what he did to her. What kind of a sick fuck does that to a woman and why the hell has she forgiven him?'  
  
That was a huge flaw in her personality, he realized. Kagome had always been too forgiving, too eager to see the good and forgive the bad. 'Yes, but, if she didn't have that flaw she probably would have stopped talking to you a long time ago. You're counting on that flaw now, aren't you?'  
  
Down below him, Kagome began speaking again: "I still don't understand how that jerk could tell. You can't see a trace of it, so how could he possibly know?" To Kagome, it was creepy, the possibility that he could tell ANYthing about her, even things she didn't care to share with him, just by looking at her.  
  
"Kagome," Sango began gently and trying not to get Kagome even more upset, "Inuyasha can see it because he wants to see everything about you. He couldn't do this with anyone else, just you."  
  
"Oh great! How did I get to be so lucky to be targeted by his senses?!"  
  
"You really don't know, do you?"  
  
Kagome looked at her blankly, a little concerned. Above them, Inuyasha stiffened, his ears erect.  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"He's only focused on you because you're the only one he wants. He WANTS you Kagome. He wants you to become his, um–mate."  
  
Inuyasha sat still, closing his eyes and blushing to his ears. What Sango just said was the truth, and he didn't feel embarrassment about that. He thought he'd been fairly obvious. That was the problem. How could Kagome not know. 'Sango shouldn't be the one telling her this,' he thought, feeling embarrassed and even slightly emasculated at his own ineptitude in expressing his intentions.  
  
'At least now she knows why I'm angry about the damn mark.'  
  
As much as he regretted the way she was hearing this, he was relieved that she was finally going to understand. He had been assuming that since earlier in the afternoon when he kissed her and told her to make her decision, he had been so clear about things.  
  
'Maybe it's not my fault. Sango got it, hell, I think they all did. This woman is just dense, that's the only problem!"  
  
Kagome looked at Sango with a blank, shocked expression. "Sango, no," she said, shaking her head. "That's not right. It can't be."  
  
"Why, Kagome? Why don't you think he wants you?"  
  
"For one thing, he acts like he hates me, sometimes now worse than ever."  
  
Sango smiled in understanding as Kagome said this. "And for another," she continued, "I know he's already promised to Kikyo. It's her he wants, not me."  
  
At the mention of Kikyo's name, he sat rigid again. So that was it, that was why she wasn't getting this. She believed he loved Kikyo still.  
  
". . . .Are you sure about that Kagome?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," Kagome quickly answered.  
  
"Are you absolutely sure that's how he feels now?"  
  
Kagome looked at her friend blankly again. Truthfully, she wasn't sure of anything with Inuyasha anymore. He had confused her so much earlier, first exciting her beyond reason by that kiss and then cryptically ordering her to "think about things." Then he made that incomprehensible threat that he wouldn't wait forever, whatever the hell that meant. But what he had just done was the worst thing imaginable. He had been so cruel, he made her feel dirty and she never, ever wanted to feel that way again, never wanted to remember what it was like when she did feel dirty.  
  
'All those terrible feelings! It wasn't my fault. What happened then wasn't my fault. At least Inuyasha doesn't know about THAT, not all of it anyway.' She shivered in the hot water, trying to push back the nightmares.  
  
"Sango, he did kiss me once, earlier today, and I know it wasn't a friendship kiss either."  
  
Sango looked at her and smiled, hearing that he had kissed her again, but asked her what she meant by "friendship kissing."  
  
"Well, in my time, men and women, especially young, unmarried, adults, kiss each other a lot. It's more like a greeting, you know, a peck on the lips or cheek. It's a western custom, but we do it all the time."  
  
Sango stared in disbelief at her. "Kagome, you do realize that this ISN"T your time, right?"  
  
Kagome looked at her with a slightly offended expression on her face even as she felt herself faltering. "Of course I realize that!"  
  
"Then why would you ever think that if Inuyasha kissed you at all it could be a 'friendship kiss?" Does he even know your customs?"  
  
Overhead, he had to suppress his urge to vocalize what he was feeling. 'FRIENDSHIP kisses? She thinks I've been giving her fuckin' 'friendship kisses?' Just how the hell many men have kissed her like that anyway?! Damn it! No wonder she's been acting so dense. She thinks I'm still in love with Kikyo and giving her 'friendship kisses' like some witless human!'  
  
Kagome realized she had never thought of it like that before. 'Was he ever very affectionate with me before I left? I could always tell he cared, but no, there was not much touching and certainly no kissing. So that means. . . . God! What did he think every time I kissed him? I've been making him think I want him and I didn't even know it!"  
  
Kagome gave a little gasp, and dunked her head underwater, completely surprising Sango. When she came up, she was wearing a pained expression.  
  
"Kagome, what's wrong?" Sango asked.  
  
"Sango, I think I've been unintentionally leading him on," she said, wincing.  
  
"What does that mean, Kagome?"  
  
"It means I've been stupid. I've kissed him a few times and it must have confused the hell out of him. I think I started something with my careless actions." She shook her head. "He's just trying to do what he thinks I expect or want from him."  
  
"You mean, you think he's just being nice to you?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I guess so."  
  
Inuyasha was so stunned by this interpretation from her, he almost lost his balance. He frantically clutched the branch, determined not to give himself away now, at least not yet. 'Yes by all the gods, you're stupid, but not for kissing me! Even if you just meant it as 'friendship.' What's stupid is how much you keep THINKING about this!'  
  
"Kagome," Sango said, "That just doesn't make sense. Maybe a man from your time would be 'nice' to you if he thought you liked him, like that, but not Inuyasha. Manners aren't usually his strongest quality.  
  
Thank the gods for Sango. She, at least, made sense, understood.  
  
Kagome listened intently. "Sango, you're right. Inuyasha can be nice sometimes, even sweet when he wants to, but I guess he wouldn't do that."  
  
Inuyasha realized he had just been insulted, but didn't care. 'Finally,' Inuyasha wanted to snort, 'she's getting it! I need her to understand so she can answer. I want her to answer me in person, but if I hear her answer like this, I'll still know without doubt it's her true feelings.'  
  
"Then. . . "Kagome began, frowning again, "there can only be one explanation. He's confusing me for Kikyo. He must think from the way I've acted about the kissing that I'm okay with being her stand-in and," Kagome said, blushing furiously, "that I'm okay with him dating or mating with me until he they can be together."  
  
Kagome looked down at the water, her features a mixture of sadness and brewing anger. 'He's called me Kikyo plenty of times before, but he's never done anything like this. If he thinks he can just use me to pass the time while he waits for her then, Oh, he's got another thing coming!'  
  
Sango began, "Kagome, I think you're still wrong. I don't think he would do that."  
  
"Maybe not on purpose Sango, but like I said earlier, I think I've confused him. Now I need to straighten things out. He knows I'm engaged to Paul, and even if I wasn't–"  
  
"Kagome," she urged gently, "don't you think there could be any other reason?"  
  
"No Sango, I don't. I know I've only been gone a month in your time. That means a few weeks ago he was promising his life and love to Kikyo. I know he meant it. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I did hear him. You want me to get it straight that he's not the same as a man from my time. I get that. A man from my time might make a promise to a woman and break it easily, but not Inuyasha. He lives by some freakish code of hanyou chivalry. No, I don't always understand his actions, but I know he would never abandon Kikyo. For me, all this happened two years ago, so I've had awhile to accept his feelings."  
  
Sango looked at her. Kagome's thinking now, she had to admit, had a ring of truth to it. As much as she hoped to see her friends happy and could imagine them as a couple, she also had to admit, that she was right about Inuyasha. He wouldn't just forget about Kikyo.  
  
Above them, Inuyasha wanted to jump down at the two women and yell the truth into both their faces, throttle them both. 'Of course I'm not abandoning Kikyo! But Kagome, I love you! I love you completely, not as a reminder of Kikyo. I owe Kikyo my help. I did love her, and in a way, I always will. You need to understand that. But all I've wanted for some time is to help her find rest so she can stop devouring souls and walking the earth like an empty vessel. Kagome, you are a living, breathing woman. I want YOU! Can't you see that?' His claws came away from his head, clutching handfuls of his own long, white hair. He was frustrated and felt his nervousness growing. 'If I don't find a way to straighten this out soon, she's could to turn to Michael.' That thought made his hair bristle.  
  
"Kagome," Sango said, "if you're right now, it still doesn't mean that he doesn't have feelings for you, too."  
  
Kagome gave a heavy sigh. "I hope he'll always have feelings for me--fond ones. I'm not a part of his future. He knows that. We even talked about it on the night I gave him my flute. I was so crushed-out on him when I left I thought I'd never get over it.  
  
Again Sango interrupted. "Kagome I'm sorry, but what is 'crushed out?'"  
  
"It means," Kagome said. "I was head-over-heels, crazy in love with him back then. I even told him so the first time I saw him again."  
  
"You told him THAT?" she asked in complete dismay.  
  
"Well, yes. It was years ago, and I thought he came back to ask me to remove the rosary and give him the last shard so he and Kikyo could get on with their lives together. The time shift caused a lot of misunderstandings. But, you know Sango, I'm not sorry about anything I told him. I left in such a terrible way, and I just wanted the chance to explain and make things right.  
  
Sango thought "If Inuyasha is confused about her, it's no wonder. The whole story is so confusing."  
  
"So," Sango asked, "what did you tell him about your feelings now?"  
  
Inuyasha's attention was riveted to the women's conversation anyway, but now he hung on every word.  
  
"I think he understands I have a different life now. I won't lie to you. It was hard to move on. I never forgot about him or any of you. I thought of you every day, but my life in my time isn't like it was when I was a girl. Things are a lot more complicated now, and at least I have real friends now too."  
  
Sango blinked and visibly paled with hurt. "Kagome, don't you think of us as your real friends?"  
  
"Oh Sango!" she said, rushing over and giving her a hug, "of course I do! The problem when I was younger was that I spent so much time here and studying to pass tests, I didn't have a life in my own time. Now I do. I have responsibilities there too, it's not the same as this quest, but they're real.  
  
Sango nodded in understanding. "Kagome," she said, "can I ask you something else?"  
  
"Anything," Kagome said, smiling.  
  
"Do you love the man you plan to marry now?"  
  
This question was met by a thick silence. Kagome looked at her and wrinkled her nose "God Sango, of all the things you could ask, you ask that one!" Kagome ducked her head underwater once more, came up and shot a jet of water from her mouth at her surprised friend.  
  
Sango grinned and splashed her back, but then, to Inuyasha's great relief, Sango brought the conversation back around to the subject-at-hand. "Do you love him?"  
  
"Sango," she began. "I really don't know anymore. When I met him in America last year, I couldn't believe my luck. Paul's a handsome man, he's studying to be a doctor like me, and he's kind-hearted. I just knew we could be a perfect match. When he told me about the work he's doing at his university specializing in urology and working as a researcher to develop a whole new kind of medicine to stop pain in cancer patients, I thought he was amazing for someone so young. He's only 23 and he's done so much already."  
  
"Kagome, what does any of that have to do with love?"  
  
"Sango, I think you're the most bottom-line person I know!" Kagome said laughing. "Okay, I'll try to tell you how I feel, but"  
  
Sango interrupted her–"Kagome, if this is difficult for you, I'm sorry. I had no right to question you about such private matters."  
  
Inuyasha tensed upon hearing this, annoyed with Sango and hoping she hadn't just stopped Kagome from revealing more important information.  
  
"It's okay, really. Actually, I think talking helps, it always helps to talk things out with you. The truth is, I admired Paul for what he was doing in school, but looking back on it, I'm not sure it was enough of a reason to agree to marry him. He asked me almost four months ago, and when I said 'yes,' I thought it was the right thing to do. But in the last couple of months, so much has happened, and my life has become something else."  
  
"You mean because of your protector, Michael."  
  
Kagome looked at her friend with respect. Even though they were separated in time by 500 years, Sango was intuitive, so understanding of her feelings. She didn't have a friend in her own time she could talk to like this, not even Chloe, not her mother anymore.  
  
Kagome nodded and looked down, "Yes. Sango, can I tell you a secret, something that no one but myself and Michael know?"  
  
Sango looked at her in surprise. "Do you wish to tell me?"  
  
Kagome looked uncertain, but continued. "I think so. It's about how I met Michael."  
  
Sango nodded, listening intently and Inuyasha felt his own heart-rate spike, waiting and listening.  
  
Kagome sighed, closed her eyes and began. 'I hope I can get through this without crying. I really want to tell someone, I think I need to, but. . . .'  
  
"The night I met Michael I was attacked." Sango nodded, saying that Inuyasha had told them this the first night she came back.  
  
"But there's more to it than he or anybody else knows," she said. "Only Michael and I know what happened, but now, if you don't mind me imposing, I want to tell you."  
  
Sango smiled softly and said, "You can tell me anything if it helps you. I care about you and nothing you could say would ever change that, Kagome."  
  
Kagome smiled and feeling fresh tears coming against her will said, "Thank you, Sango. I think when I saw you again last night that's why I started crying. You're the closest thing I have to a sister and I've been holding this in for so long. I think I need to tell someone and you're the only person I can tell this to."  
  
"Kagome, you haven't shared any of this with your mother?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "No. She doesn't even know it happened. I was attacked only weeks after my grandfather died. He was killed by a gang trying to sell drugs at the shrine. Mom and I were at the movies and when we came home, Sota had been shot in the leg and grandpa was dead, a bullet in his poor chest."  
  
Sango looked at her and felt herself sicken. "Kagome!" she cried. "I am so sorry!" she said, tears shining in her eyes. If anyone knew what it was like to see family die, Kagome realized, it was Sango.  
  
Kagome smiled and they embraced again, crying together. "Mom was so upset, there was no way I could tell her what happened to me, not so soon after what happened to grandpa and Sota."  
  
Sango nodded in understanding. Kagome didn't tell her mother to spare her more pain. Kagome was like that, always thinking more of others.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief. He had come to understand that her time was just as dangerous in its own ways to humans as this era, and he felt terrible for Kagome and her family hearing what had happened. He wished he could have been there to stop it.  
  
Sango looked at her and said gently, "Do you still want to talk about what happened to you?"  
  
Kagome nodded and pulled away from her. Slowly, she began talking: "I was walking home with my books when I was grabbed and pulled backward into a dark alley. I tried to scream, but the man held a gloved hand tightly over my mouth. I tried to get free, but he was too strong and I couldn't move away from him. I remember being so scared, just so scared, I think a part of me froze. He got me down on the ground, and put something in my mouth so I couldn't scream. Then he tore my clothes with his hands. My shirt and bra were ripped off and my skirt, he had my skirt. . . ."  
  
Kagome stopped a minute, to close her eyes and re-gain some control. She was breathing faster and could feel herself start to shake. She didn't look up at Sango, but continued, talking faster now: "He was over me, on top of me, and he pulled out this knife and held it up to my face, right up to my eyes, turning it back in forth. I remember how long the blade was. I remember the way a light from somewhere gleemed on the metal. I think I knew then. I knew I couldn't stop what was about to happen. He stabbed me through my chest, I felt the knife go in, and it hurt, it hurt so much."  
  
Sango gasped and looked at her. Kagome said nothing, but turned sideways, and lifted her bikini top, showing Sango a jagged, fiendish scar below her left breast that was visible even in the low light.  
  
She gave another gasp. She was horrified by what she saw. "Kagome, this wound, it could have–"  
  
Kagome nodded. "It did. I died that night, Sango," she said in a whisper.  
  
Sango looked at her and blinked, "No, you didn't. Maybe you almost did, but you're here now. You didn't die."  
  
"I did. I remember feeling this pain that was so terrible, I wanted it to end, I just wanted everything to end. I felt something warm surround me and knew it was my own blood, leaving me. Then the pain started going away too. As my blood flowed away, the pain was flowing away with it. At first I was scared, I didn't want to die, but then I just knew this was happening and I couldn't do anything about it, so I wasn't scared anymore or even sad. I was cold, so very cold, I wanted it to be over so I couldn't feel anything anymore, and then it was. Everything went black, and I was gone."  
  
"Kagome," Sango said after a moment of silence, "you passed out, it would be natural with that kind of a wound to–"  
  
"No Sango, I died. I felt myself leave my body, saw my body, saw the dark man over me, saw my blood, I was lying in so much blood. I knew I couldn't help myself, I was dead. That's when I started feeling this pull, like something willing me to go somewhere. I was floating above myself, leaving, when everything below was suddenly covered in this brilliant, white light, it was like the full light of the sun.  
  
The light was coming from a figure standing behind me and my attacker, but I couldn't see anything through the light. I couldn't even really look at it, it was so bright. There was a terrible sound, like a scream coming from all directions, and then my attacker was gone, only ashes lay scattered on top of my body and all around me, blowing everywhere.  
  
That's when the light came closer. I could see now that in the center of the light was a tall figure, and somehow I knew it was male. I felt this incredible sense of peace, watching him standing over me, even the force that was pulling at my soul stopped. I just floated above it, watching. That's when the figure looked up at me, or my soul I guess. I felt him and knew he was looking at me. He called my name and spoke to me in a voice so deep, the words echoed through me. He told me that I had died before I had done what I was put on the earth to do. He said that I had been given a destiny that was greater than my own life and that for years I had been wasting time and running from it. He said he was could give me my life back and give me one more chance to fulfill my destiny. He said that if I came back to life and didn't do what I was meant to do this time, thousands of souls would suffer. He gave me the choice, I could remain dead, or I could be returned to life. He asked me what I wanted. I don't even know if he spoke aloud or how I answered him, but I know I did. I chose life.  
  
Kagome stopped and stood still in the pool, looking off into the darkness as she recalled that night.  
  
Inuyasha felt himself sicken and chill. He had only thrown up once, right after his mother died, but he thought he might now. He dug his hands into the bark of the tree so deeply than a claw broke off. He felt the pain of it, but only barely. Kagome had died that night of her attack. Her attacker killed her was in the act of raping her. . . .he felt waves of nausea and dizziness again, as he fought for balance. As quietly as he could, he jumped down to the forest floor, knowing he was too sick with what he was feeling to stay in the tree. Like Kikyo, Kagome had died. She had died, and just like Kikyo, he hadn't been there to save her. Guilt as sharp as a knife twisted inside him. If only I could have reached her sooner, if only I could have stopped her from leaving in the first place. . . .' He slumped down to the ground, allowing his back to rest against the tree. He heard Kagome continue:  
  
"I woke up in the hospital, and Michael was there with me. At first I didn't remember anything. I was lying there, with all kinds of tubes connected to me and it was painful to breath in very deep. A doctor came in and told me it was a miracle I didn't die, that I had lost a lot of blood and the wound almost reached my heart. Michael only said that he was the one who found me and called an ambulance. I think I went in and out of sleep, but when I was sleeping, I remembered what happened.  
  
When I woke up again, Michael was still there. He told me the truth. He said he was an angel, and that he was the one who saved me. He said he was going to be my protector and trainer, and that he was going to stay with me to teach me how to use my powers and get ready to face my destiny when the time came. I healed much quicker than I should have, I was released in less than a week and the doctors said they had never seen anything like it. When I got out of the hospital, Michael came back to my apartment with me. At first my roommate didn't like it much, but he took care of me day and night. Chloe and Michael are friends now, and Michael's never left me since that night."  
  
Sango listened to her best friend's amazing tale. At first, she was skeptical. She thought the trauma Kagome experienced must have affected her mind. But she knew Kagome and, after witnessing her new powers for herself earlier, and seeing how the necklace that she wore now protected her, Sango realized everything she had just heard was true.  
  
Inuyasha took in the fresh scent of the earth and air, trying to calm his churning stomach. Now he understood what Kagome meant when she said she couldn't choose between himself and Michael. How could she? If only he had known what she had been through, what Michael did for her, he never would have asked her to make that kind of a choice. Michael didn't just save her life as Inuyasha had done before, he gave it back to her. She said she owed her very existence to him and, as angry as that made him at the time, he knew now she was right.  
  
He shook his head in amazement. He didn't like the arrogant being who returned Kagome to life, but he owed him a debt he could never repay.  
  
'If Michael hadn't have been there when I wasn't, I would have come back to her grave,' he thought grimly.  
  
Realizing this, another thought came to him. The sensation it brought was as powerful as a physical pain, stinging, like Kagome's earlier slap:  
  
'With all that's happened, do I still have any right to claim her? Michael said he loves her, hell, I can see that with my own eyes. It was him who saved her. He's the one who deserves her love and a life with her now.'  
  
He didn't just think he could get sick, he knew he was. As quickly as could manage, Inuyasha bounded off, deep into the forest. When he was a safe distance away, he allowed the pain inside him to come, wrenching him from the inside out.  
  
He gave himself just long enough to feel steadied and stop shaking. No matter who she belonged to, he would not leave Kagome unprotected, ever. He made that promise to himself and her earlier, and now he felt obligated to Michael too. 'If she's to be his, then accept it.' In his own code of honor, Michael had more of a right to be with her than he ever did. Loving her and now thinking about freely letting her go to someone else, made him ache inside with fresh pain. Still, he could not deny Michael's superior claim. Whatever sort of being an angel was, he was more powerful than any being Inuyasha had known.  
  
Kikyo had been returned to life, but only a shadow-life by the witch's spell. Her soul was trapped in a cold body, sadness and pain were her existence. She could have no joy, no sense of peace, as long as she remained half-living and half-dead.  
  
But Kagome was alive, fully. Her body was healed, and, even though she bore the scars on her body and mind of that night, she was still capable of laughter, love, and joy. He had sensed a sadness in her, and wanted to rid her of those feelings. He now understood why they were there. She had gone through a horrible ordeal. The fact that she could still laugh and love at all amazed him. She was healing emotionally from what happened to her too, and he knew that Michael was responsible for that as well.  
  
'What can you do but let her go?' his mind asked. Still, from somewhere deep in his stubborn spirit, came a reply: 'Is that what she wants?. . . .Can you let go of her without even finding out her heart's desires?'  
  
He approached the springs and heard the women talking more, the subject now was Kagome's powers. Sango had asked her why she didn't use her powers to save herself that night. Kagome told her that she didn't know she still had miko powers then, she thought she had lost them when the well closed in her time. She was explaining something else to Sango that was new information:  
  
"Before I left, my powers were unfocused, untrained, and weak. I didn't know how or when they worked, but it was always tied to my emotions." Sango nodded, remembering this as well.  
  
"When I left, something happened. I was holding a small jewel shard in my right hand and it cut me here," she said, holding up her hand and showing Sango a thin, white scar in the center of her palm. I never thought much of it, but when Michael started training me, he said that scar was a focal- point for my energies. As I matured, my powers did too, but I didn't know they were there. Somehow, when the jewel shard cut me, it left something behind, some kind of center that my own energy can be drawn to. If I'm really scared, like I was that night, and earlier today with Shippo, it scatters, but other emotions like anger draw the energy. I feel it coming into my hand and flowing through me. It also gathers in my eyes, but only while I'm focusing."  
  
Out of habit, Kagome suddenly sat up and glanced around into the surrounding darkness. Inuyasha felt himself panic. Had she sensed him? No, she hadn't. He knew there were no other dangers near her, so he wondered what had made her turn. It was as if she was making sure she and Sango were absolutely alone. She turned back to Sango and said, "Michael wouldn't be happy with me, if he knew about this, but I'll show you something. Just don't look at my eyes until I'm done."  
  
She closed her eyes and held out her hands, palms down, above the water. As she stood there, Inuyasha felt energy, almost like lightning in the air, gather around her. She leaned her head back and opened her eyes. He watched her body arch in the water as the energy moved through her, causing her chest to rise. The sight of her like this was incredible. He felt his excitement grow, his muscles tighten and his groin grow hard. Her energy was enticing, raw and surprisingly sensual. He watched as the entire spring lit up, the water glowing like it was lighted from below. The water glowed a deep, clear blue.  
  
Sango gasped in delight. "Oh Kagome! It's beautiful!" she said in astonishment. She swam away from her a little, gazing down at her now visible arms and legs within the blue water.  
  
"Kagome, will doing this drain too much of your energy?" she asked in sudden concern.  
  
Kagome smiled. "No. I've done this kind of thing before when I know I'm alone. It's relaxing and once I focus, I can do keep this going without really thinking about it. It's when I'm angry or upset that the energy drains me, not like this."  
  
The women laughed again as Kagome splashed glowing water at Sango. Despite himself, Inuyasha was now entranced by the scene. He wished he could swim with her like this. He smiled ,watching the magical and idyllic scene.  
  
Finally, Sango brought the conversation back to seriousness. "Kagome, what are you going to do about Inuyasha?"  
  
Kagome swam beside her and took her place back on the rock. She sat down and twisted her wet hair back up on top of her head, pinning it in place with her clip.  
  
"I don't know Sango. I'm still really angry with him for the scene back at Kaede's. . . ," she began, "but, thanks to you, I know at least why he's been acting so strange, and now it makes sense. I think I'm to blame for the misunderstanding and confusion. Like I said, I accepted a long time ago that he and Kikyo are meant for each other. I think my recent actions are the reason he's confused.  
  
If he think he wants me in any way, I know it's just because I remind him of her, and because I conveyed something to him I didn't mean to. I was just so happy to see him again, I forgot that people in this time, not to mention our favorite dog-demon, don't demonstrate feelings in the same ways I'm used to. I've embarrassed myself with him all over again, and now I'll have to apologize for it."  
  
Sango gave her a sympathetic look and she added, "Besides, now I don't know what he thinks of me. He was really angry about Paul's hickey, and I slapped him, hard. I think I might have even cut him with the ring."  
  
Sango smiled. "Don't worry about it Kagome," no matter what he was thinking, he shouldn't have embarrassed you like that. "I think he deserved the slap."  
  
Kagome shook her head. "He never deserves to be hurt. I never want to hurt him again. Maybe it would be easier if I just told him that he was right and that I'll be marrying Paul as soon as possible. I as much as told him that when I was yelling at him anyway."  
  
Sango agreed, and suggested maybe this would be the simplest, least embarrassing explanation for both of them.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head and smirked. 'Stupid women. Kagome doesn't know I'll always be able to tell when she's lying.' He felt bad that once again, she was willing to blame herself for everything, and wanting to apologize to him. 'It was me who tried to force her to choose, me who initiated the issue of mating. And still, she doesn't understand that I love her.'  
  
He felt a deep sadness thinking that his feelings for her, as painful as they were, were so easily dismissed and explained away by her as his "confusion." 'She really doesn't understand me, but knowing what I know now, perhaps that's for the best that she never knows. If she belongs with Michael now, not me. . . .'  
  
"Kagome," Sango asked suddenly, "What is it you really want? If you could chose right now, how would you?"  
  
Despite the doubts he was feeling, this was it--the answer Inuyasha had been waiting to hear. He stood up in the tree, listening and watching her intently:  
  
Kagome shook her head and laughed ruefully. "Sango, what I want isn't possible. It doesn't even matter anymore. I can't afford to think about things like that. What matters to me most right now is keeping my promises. I want to see Inuyasha happy. He deserves that and I will do whatever it takes to make the jewel whole again and defeat Naraku so he can be happy. That's crucial to all of us, but if you ask me what my heart wants, all that remains there is my desire to see him happy. Once I do that, I can return to my time and face whatever it is that I'm supposed to do then."  
  
Inuyasha was stunned beyond belief. Of all the ways he could imagine her answering, this answer he never would have guessed. He gazed down at her delicate form, his feelings for her overpowering him. 'This is what this woman cares most about? MY HAPPINESS?' He looked at her and realized as much as he thought he understood her, she was still a mystery to him.  
  
He felt something else too, hearing her true feelings spoken aloud--his love for her was even deeper, intensified by knowing that his happiness mattered to her this much. Maybe Michael had a stronger claim, but it meant something, didn't it, that she felt this way? 'What if she knew what would make you happy? Are you going to let go of her without telling her that?'  
  
Sango smiled at her friend and nodded her understanding. It wasn't that Kagome had said it, but her friend's feelings were clear enough. She loved Inuyasha. With everything that had happened in her life, he was still the one, the only one, she loved. Her love for him was so true, so pure, that she put his interests and wants above her own entirely. 'Could there be any way for them to be together?' Sango wondered.  
  
"Kagome, what do you think you will do when this is over and you return to your time?"  
  
Kagome frowned for a minute and said, "I don't know. I still want to be a doctor if that's possible. I have an obligation to Michael though, and I'll probably do more spirit-fighting." She looked suddenly very sad and added, "Unlike this quest, there's no simple ending to the misery that exists in my time."  
  
Sango asked her what she meant and she explained a little about spirit- fighting.  
  
"Even Michael says he doesn't know what these beings are and where they come from. They are not like demons or anything else you can fight with a weapon. They are energies so vast, so dark, they can't be stopped or contained. They just keep growing, taking more victims all the time. The most we can do is try to stop the killings and set some of the innocent souls they hold free.  
  
Even in the glowing, warm water, Sango chilled thinking about this. She couldn't even imagine something as horrible as what Kagome was describing, and, from the sound of it, this was growing in her time.  
  
"Kagome, what's to become of your world if these beings can't be stopped?"  
  
Kagome shook her head and looked dismal. "I don't know. Michael is not the only spirit-fighter. There are others, and ones in training, like me, but so far no way has been discovered to stop them. Their hatred is stronger than love, their evil stronger than goodness. Sango, to be near these beings is to feel a hatred and a rage that burns anything it touches. They don't have a reason or motive, no plan. They are like a fungus that exists only to rot the living and grow. I've never felt anything like it, and without Michael's protection, I couldn't do it. When we fight these things, there isn't even a battlefield to meet on. They exist outside of time, in their own time. Entering their realm always means you may not find your way back out."  
  
Sango looked at her completely shocked. "Do you think there's even a chance, given what you've told me?"  
  
Kagome looked back at her and smiled, meaningfully, "Yes. There is always a chance. I have to believe that, even if I have no real reason to. During my last fight, I saw the spirit of this little girl trapped by one of these beings. She had been dead a long time, and her energy was colored by so much sorrow. I tried to give her a channel of escape with my own energy while Michael fought the darkness that was all around her. It was one of the most powerful of these beings we've ever fought. I reached out to the girl, I remember her haunted face, her huge, sorrowful eyes. When I smiled at her and tried to reach her, she spoke to me. It was the only time a spirit had ever spoken to me in one of these fights. She said she couldn't leave, not while the darkness that trapped her was in so much pain. I tried and tried to get her to come, I think I could have freed her, but she refused. I've thought a lot about that child since then. Even though she was being crushed by the weight of the evil that held her, she wouldn't leave. She actually wanted to help the evil that trapped her, cried for it's pain. I can't explain why, but that girl gave me a small sense of hope, a new reason to find an answer to getting rid of this evil."  
  
Inuyasha was deeply troubled by this story. He hadn't realized how great a threat these spirits were to her time and world. More strongly than ever, he had a deep instinct to keep her away from this threat, to find a way to keep her safely here.  
  
"I guess demon fighting seems like a soak in the hot springs compared to what waits for you in your world," Sango said, still horrified by Kagome's story.  
  
Kagome didn't respond, she was looking far off. 'Demons. . . .Why aren't there more demons in my time? What happened to all the demons? What happened to INUYASHA?!'  
  
"Kagome! Kagome! What's wrong?" Sango looked worried, she had been talking and Kagome was not responding. It was as if she was in some kind of a trance.  
  
Inuyasha grew alarmed as well. 'What's wrong with her? Why isn't she answering Sango?' He tensed, ready to jump down if something was really wrong with her.  
  
Suddenly, Kagome, heaved herself out of the water and ran to her beach bag, emptying the towels and the rest of the contents on the dark ground. The light from the water was all she had to see by as she searched, frantically.  
  
"Kagome! What are you doing? What's wrong?!"  
  
Kagome still didn't answer, she found what she was looking for. Her waterproof , plastic case. She hadn't used it or thought of it for over a year; it had been forgotten at the bottom of her beach bag. She noticed the yellow plastic case earlier back at Kaede's, realizing she hadn't thought about it or seen it since her trip to America.  
  
"It has to be here!" she said suddenly, twisting open the cap.  
  
"Kagome, what are you talking about?!"  
  
She dumped the contents of the case into the grass, coins, bills, a small eyeglasses screwdriver. Her fingers felt frantically in the grass for what she was looking for. She found them, the two small white tablets, their shape and feel distinct among the grass. Without hesitation, she picked one up. Sango and Inuyasha watched as she brought her hand to her mouth. She quickly swallowed.  
  
She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly lowered her chilled body back into the water.  
  
"Kagome?" Sango asked. "What happened? Why did you get out?"  
  
"I'm sorry Sango, I didn't mean to scare you," Kagome replied, not really looking at her. "I have to do something now. I'll explain later, okay?"  
  
Sango looked at her friend, baffled. She shrugged and walked over to get out of the water, expecting Kagome to follow her. Sango turned around as she started to climb out and saw Kagome wasn't moving. Her head was tilted back and her eyes were closed. he had her arms raised above her to he sky. Kagome opened her eyes, and Sango saw from the side, the white-light that pulsed from her eyes, before she sent a stream of light-blue energy straight heavenward.  
  
"Kagome!" Sango yelled. It only lasted a second. Kagome opened her eyes and seemed to be all right. "Kagome, why did you do that?" Sango asked, rounding on her.  
  
Kagome's eyes were open, but once again, she wasn't hearing. She walked away from Sango, toward the center of the springs. At the drop-off point, she began swimming and made her way to the center of the lighted pool. Sango watched her, confounded by her friend's actions.  
  
Up above, Inuyasha was still tensed. Why the hell did she just send energy to the sky and what was she doing now?  
  
Kagome leaned backwards and, bringing her legs up, floated on her back in the middle of the spring. As her hair spilled all around her, like a black curtain, she closed her eyes, focusing and willing her system to feel the effects of the pill.  
  
"Michael. . . .Michael! Can you hear me?"  
  
"Michael I need you! Please hear me!"  
  
"Kay?. . . Is that you?" "Yes, Michael it's me, I need to talk to you."  
  
"Kay, how the bloody hell are you doing this? You've never connected to me like this. It shouldn't be possible across time."  
  
"Michael, I need your help, now. I need to know , what happens to the demons in my time? What happens to Inuyasha and Shippo? What happens to all the demons? I've only seen one or two demons in my time, ones I've never seen here. Why is that?"  
  
"Kay, I don't know what happens to the demons. I've never thought about it. Love, why is this so bloody important?"  
  
"I don't know Michael, I just don't know, but I have a terrible feeling about this! Please Michael, can you help me, can you find out what happens in my time?"  
  
"Kay, something's happening to your energy. You have to break-off, now!"  
  
"Michael–promise me you'll find out what happens!"  
  
"Break the connection Kay, right NOW!"  
  
"Promise me!"  
  
"I promise love, now go!–"  
  
Inuyasha and Sango watched as the glowing water turned suddenly black again. As Kagome's energy left the water, Sango watched her sink below the surface.  
  
"Kagome!" she screamed, swimming frantically to where Kagome had been floating just an instant before.  
  
Inuyasha hesitated only seconds, waiting to see if she would resurface. Sango dove, came back up for a quick breath, and dove again.  
  
Tearing off his coat and sword, Inuyasha dropped from the tree straight into the water. Sango resurfaced and looked at him saying only "I can't find her!" before taking a breath and going back under.  
  
Inuyasha dived and underwater, opened his eyes. It was dark, but he could see where humans couldn't. He saw Kagome's dark form, resting at the bottom of the spring. He dove down and found her leg tangled in dense, slimy weeds. He pulled hard, freed her, and, grabbing her under the chest, carried her to the surface.  
  
Sango saw he had her and cried in relief as he carried her unconscious form from the water. He laid her down in the grass, watching her. She wasn't breathing. He pushed down on her chest, and she coughed , water expelling from her mouth and nose. She was breathing again, but it was shallow, like her pulse.  
  
He spoke to, called her name, shook her. She didn't wake and remained limp. 'She's breathing, so she should be alright. Why won't she wake?'  
  
"Sango!" he called. "I'm taking her back to Kaedes!" He normally wouldn't have bothered to say anything, but he saw how worried she was about Kagome. He didn't wait though for her response. He wrapped her in his coat, sheathed his sword, and gathering her in his arms, leapt above the copse and through the dark sky, speeding back to Kaede's. 


	21. Aftermath

Author's note: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers for the great response to the last chapter! As they say of all worthwhile things in life, it's the quality, not the quantity that counts! What follows now is an installment of another three chapters and I'll try to get to a more satisfying breaking place with another update sometime next week. I will keep updating/writing as I can, but if you have any questions about the story, feel free to e- mail. --JR   
  
Chapter 21 Aftermath  
  
By the flickering light of candles, Inuyasha watched her for signs of movement. Kagome was on her bedding, covered with blankets, her wet hair framing her pale face.  
  
He watched her, frowning. This wasn't good. She had been back less than three days, and, one way or another had been asleep more than awake. When she was awake, she was in danger of meeting harm, more from herself even than the demons. Earlier today she had battled one of the largest demons he had ever laid eyes upon, and then fainted from exhaustion. He had cared for her, making sure she revived fully only to have THIS happen to her.  
  
'What was she doing in the water on her back?'  
  
He didn't know how, but somehow her actions had caused this, her near drowning, and now this strange sleep. Her breathing was still shallow and too slow. He wanted her to wake up. Gently at first, he pressed on her shoulders, trying to wake her. Growing frustrated, he shook harder. Her body was still limp, almost lifeless. He was trying hard not to worry, but he shook his head. He could not, would not allow himself to think about anything happening to her now.  
  
Kaede had also looked at her when he first brought her back and didn't understand why she was sleeping, but, giving him a look that was meant to be reassuring, said, "Let's just give her time to rest, Inuyasha. She should be fine when she awakens."  
  
Outside, he heard Sango return and enter. "No change in her?" Sango asked. He shook his head. He could see the concern on Sango's face too. "Hmph! Don't worry, woman, she'll be fine. I'm seeing to her!" When he said it, both he and Sango knew he was trying to convince himself more than her.  
  
Miroku, had given Inuyasha a wide-birth when he came jumping into the yard with Kagome unconscious and wrapped in his coat. He was upset to see her unconscious again, but knew better than to ask questions until Inuyasha was ready. He silently said a prayer thanking the gods that Shippo had fallen asleep waiting for her return. The little kitsune always angered the hanyou, but with Kagome hurt again, Inuyasha would be even more short with him than usual. When Sango came back, he asked her what had happened, and she told him enough of the story for him to realize Kagome's state was not caused by natural sleepiness. He entered the hut behind Sango and met her eyes across the room, careful not to allow his own eyes to travel any lower. She was still dressed in the bating suit with a towel wrapped around her.  
  
"Miroku and Inuyasha, I want you both to step outside for a moment so I can change. I'll change Kagome into some dry clothes too."  
  
"No," Inuyasha said in a low, firm tone. "Don't touch her Sango. I have her well-covered. I don't want anyone touching her."  
  
She knew that the fact that he was not yelling at her right now showed real restraint on his part. Whatever was going to happen between them, Inuyasha was possessive of her in the way a demon protects a hurt mate. She lowered her head and nodded, careful not to upset him.  
  
As the men stepped outside and closed the door, Miroku turned to him, a fresh look of concern in his face.  
  
"What is monk? You look as if you saw a ghost," Inuyasha snorted.  
  
Miroku looked at him nervously. "I'm not sure what it was," he said, "but I sense something gathering around Kagome again in her sleep. Whatever attacked her before is coming back."  
  
Without waiting to find out if Sango was presentable, Inuyasha charged back through the door, past a startled but dressed Sango, and sat down by Kagome, guarding her. He didn't sense or smell any strange presence near, but in this instance, he believed the monk had abilities to detect things that he didn't. By all outside appearances, nothing had changed in her condition, at least, not yet.  
  
Kagome looked up at the sky. It was an ominous gray, and a cold wind swept across her face and through her hair. Her feet were bare, and she shifted them in the sand dunes, feeling the gritty sand gathering between her toes. "It's going to start raining any minute, "she thought. "I need to find shelter."  
  
She held her hands up to her face to keep her blowing hair out of her eyes as she scanned her surroundings. The ocean was behind her, the beach extended to the horizon in both side directions, and ahead of her, lay the mountains. She wasn't worried about how she got here, she had been here before, she knew. She just didn't remember how she got here or where she was supposed to go.  
  
She felt the first drops of rain hit her bare arms. She was wearing only her bathing suit, and was growing cold. She headed for the mountains, eager to find some place to wait out the storm.  
  
Up ahead in the outcropping of rocks she saw something dark, an entrance to a cave, a threatening maw.  
  
"That's it," she thought, "This is where I'm supposed to go." Her goal in sight, she began running.  
  
"Inuyasha, I think you should wait for her to wake up someplace else," Miroku finally said, after trying to find a way to suggest this without angering him.  
  
Inuyasha looked up from her sleeping face and met his eyes. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not leaving her side."  
  
"But, "Miroku began, "If she goes into a waking-dream as she did last time, you could be sent flying. The repairs to Kaede's hut aren't even completed. Please consider letting Sango and I–"  
  
He looked at him through dangerously narrowed eyes and answered in a low voice.  
  
"No."  
  
The fact that he wasn't yelling was almost of as much concern as Kagome's condition, but Miroku didn't want to test his luck any more than Sango did, so he dropped it.  
  
Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome. Still she didn't move, didn't make a sound in her sleep. Her face was pale, but placid. He remembered how much pain she seemed to be in the last time she was in this sort of state. He desperately didn't want to hear her cry out in pain like that again. But this sleep was different too. The last time her sleep seemed troubled, she was restless and made noises, even spoke. This time there was no response. It was as if only her sleeping body was in the room with him, not her mind.  
  
'Gods,' he prayed, 'Let her come out of this.'  
  
She reached the entrance to the cave and dashed through the opening in the dark rock.  
  
The rain was falling hard now, and she had gotten very wet just running to the cave. She turned and looked out the opening and back at the beach and the endlessly raining gray sky. How long was it going to rain this time?  
  
This time?  
  
Yes, she remembered, it had rained last time she was here too. Suddenly she became aware of a presence behind her and spun round, startling.  
  
The small figure of a child was looking up at her, watching her with large, black eyes.  
  
"I know you!" Kagome said, warmly. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" She smiled at the girl to show her she didn't need to be afraid of her.  
  
The girl gave her a short, thin smile. "You're supposed to go inside," she said. "They're waiting for you."  
  
Kagome looked down at the smiling child and watched as she turned to mist, disappearing in front of her. She wasn't frightened seeing this, she had seen this before too, although she couldn't remember where. "I must have met her here last time too," she thought.  
  
With no one to keep her company and only the steady sound of the hard rain by the entrance, Kagome turned to face the cave's interior. Although she was unable to see, she walked calmly into the darkness.  
  
"It's funny," she thought. "I think I was afraid of falling last time." The cave's floor was cold but dry. Her feet walked on the sand below her she couldn't see. Up ahead she sensed an increase in the darkness and realized she was leaving a passageway and entering a cavernous room.  
  
She felt the temperature drop as she entered the room and hugged herself, once again wishing she had worn something warmer.  
  
She heard nothing, saw nothing, felt only cold and sand, but she became aware of feeling the presence of many others in the darkness, waiting. The sound of breathing made the silence thicker.  
  
'The ones the child spoke of,' she knew.  
  
"Hello?" she called out. No answer came, not even an echo of her own voice. The room seemed to absorb all light, sound, and warmth. She stepped forward a few more steps and, for the first time, began to feel fear. She still could see nothing, but knew they were pressing close to her from every side. She tried hard to stay calm and stand her ground, but she couldn't stop the slight tremble in her arms.  
  
She felt them, felt their hatred.  
  
Sensing a blow coming to her face, she reached out to cover her head. Her hand struck cold, stone. It burned her like fire even as she felt it writhe, living beneath her touch.  
  
She screamed. Her arms flailed in front of her, trying to push back, but with every movement she felt them press closer There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them, distinct but merged. They swarmed on her, crushing her. Stone of ice and vile heat lashed out and grabbed for her, her head, her arms, her legs.  
  
Pain white-hot beyond her endurance shot through her, their collective pain. They were sharing it with her, forcing her to taste it burning in her mouth, scorching her eyes with white fire. She was trapped in stone, dying in fire. She screamed in terrified agony.  
  
Two hours had passed since he brought Kagome back and she had not moved in the slightest. They were alone in the silent, lowly-lit room. He sat beside her, cross-legged on the ground, his eyes never leaving her face. Then, without warning, she went into convulsions.  
  
Inuyasha stood, and, drawing Tetsiga, whirled around wildly, searching for the enemy that was doing this to her. "DAMMIT!" he yelled. "Where the fuck are you?! Come fight me, you bastard!" He sensed nothing, but knew it was there, hurting Kagome. Whatever this was, he couldn't fight it off and couldn't protect her.  
  
He looked down at her thrashing form, and, in panic, pinned her arms, trying to get her to lie still. Underneath him, the convulsions continued. He realized her temperature had spiked very quickly, her face was a burning red as her head and body moved on their own in rapid, jerky movements. Her heart was beating frantically, erratically. He laid down on top of her, putting his full weight on her, his legs on top of hers, pinning her. Her neck kept arching her head wildly, and he brought his face down upon her burning cheek, trying to hold that down as well. He was out of his mind with fear for her.  
  
"Kagome, please don't die. Please don't leave me!" He yelled out in desperate fear, oblivious and unconcerned if he was heard.  
  
At any second the spell could activate and he would be sent flying upwards with a force to propelling him through the roof.  
  
'Please, don't let her repel me, at least not until she stops this!'  
  
Miroku heard Inuyasha's desperate yells, and came running through the door. He took in the scene, horrified, as Kagome convulsed and Inuyasha tried to contain her mindless movements. Kaede and Sango stood in the threshold, watching in dread concern and feeling helpless. Kagome was dying a horrible, violent death, and her attacker was invisible.  
  
Kagome made no sound, but her pain was obvious. Miroku moved beside Kagome and Inuyasha's struggling form, raised his staff, and began chanting the prayer he had said earlier. His staff went flying out of his hand and struck the opposite wall, piercing the wood like a spear. As soon as his staff was taken, he was slapped hard across the face by the force he could only feel and went down to the floor.  
  
Across the room he heard Sango call out to him, but her voice sounded far off. He was now caught in a typhoon-strength wind. Through tearing eyes, he saw Inuyasha still struggling to hold Kagome down on her bed and Sango and Kaede across the room, outside the wind, calling to him with terrified expressions. He wanted to remove his rosary and open up his own wind- tunnel, but knew he couldn't, not this close to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Whatever's attacking Kagome is attacking me too. It's isolating me, trying to stop me from helping her."  
  
Kaede tried to approach and was thrust back into Sango with a hard push to the chest. It was then that the saw it. Only for an instant, the invisible force took a form of sorts, black and viscous, like the sickening smoke of a grease fire. In that moment, he had an idea.  
  
"SANGO!" he yelled as loud as he could, "KAGOME'S STAR!" He hoped she heard him and understood. The wind picked up and he couldn't open his mouth now against it's force. It was hard to open his eyes at all now, but he glimpsed Kagome and Inuyasha's bodies, still thrashing. 'If I can't stop this, she'll die now,' he thought in grimly.  
  
He cracked his eyes in the howling wind that was pinning him to the floor and saw through a blur Sango standing, readying her boomerang. 'She's not going to throw it in here, is she?!' he thought with terror. He lifted his head and struggled to open his eyes to see Sango's boomerang hit the wall of wind and rip through, causing the wind to die-down for an instant. That was all the time he needed. He saw what Sango had done–the star was tied on the top of the boomerang, held in place by a heavy cord.  
  
In a quick motion that tore the amulet from it's chain, Miroku grabbed it and held tight, just as the wind regained its force. Holding the amulet against the floor and his hand, he began chanting, even though the wind tried to block out his words. After several seconds, he could feel the heat beneath his rosary and cloth-covered hand, and saw a yellow glow begin to emanate, bright light cracking through his gripped fingers.  
  
Holding on with all his might, he lifted the glowing charm into the wind, which instantly died. Freed, he stood up and ran to Kagome and Inuyasha. Both Inuyasha and Kagome had their eyes closed, Inuyasha struggling to maintain control and Kagome lost in the darkness. As he approached them, Inuyasha opened his eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha! I want to try the star amulet! Keep her head still" Miroku yelled.  
  
Without answering, Inuyasha pressed the side of his own face harder on hers. She continued to jerk, but not as violently. Miroku still wished she wasn't moving so much, but watched for a clear shot. With the star in his palm, he reached for Kagome's forehead, connecting.  
  
Kagome knew she was dying again, but her own dying wasn't the worst, it was their pain, the sound of thousands of beating hearts, trapped in stone. The hatred that poured over her was like a sea of fire. She was burning everywhere, could feel her skin melting in the fire as icy stones held her down.  
  
She was dying, and that would be her salvation. But what about these beings? Who could save them? Even in the grips of her own agony, she grieved, wishing that somehow her own death would at least put a stop to this endless pain, knowing it wouldn't.  
  
She heard his voice, weak, far-off. Somehow, he had come for her, giving her comfort.  
  
"Look up, Kay! Look at the stars!"  
  
She closed her eyes tighter, readying to let go. She knew it was only her dying mind's wish that he could save her now. It wasn't real. She was shut inside, deep inside the earth. There were no stars in this darkness. Then she heard another voice, louder than the first:  
  
"Damn it Kagome, stop struggling!  
  
Open your eyes and look!  
  
Look at the star Kagome!  
  
Stay with me! Look at the star!"  
  
She was letting go, wanting to be rid of the pain, but he was yelling at her, insisting she listen, demanding her attention.  
  
Through eyes glazed in pain, she looked up.  
  
As soon as the amulet made contact with her skin, the convulsions stopped. For just a moment, her back arched and her eyes opened. Miroku saw with dread they had turned the strange pale-blue color he had noticed after the battle with the worm demon. Her eyes closed again quickly, and the tension left her body.  
  
Inuyasha opened his eyes and lifted his head from her face to look at her, terrified she had just died. When he heard and felt her heart beat, he gave a sigh of relief and buried his head against her neck, allowing himself to feel her pulse and breath deeply into her scent as tears pooled in his eyes.  
  
Miroku was standing over her, holding the amulet firmly against her forehead. Inuyasha released her arms and pushed himself off of her, not wanting to crush her now that she had stopped thrashing.  
  
Miroku chanted a prayer over and over, and, as he did so, the center of the glowing amulet changed from yellow to a swirling, sluggish, dark purple, like the color of cold blood. As the amulet's center filled with the new color, Kagome made her first sound–a sharp, long intake of air.  
  
She let it out and began breathing normally. Her face was no longer a burning red, but returning to a normal pallor. Inuyasha brought his hand lightly down to her cheek to confirm it, her fever was gone.  
  
After several more minutes of chanting, Miroku lifted the star and held it out, away from his face. The dark color bled from the center down through it's tips, leaving the center apparently empty. Miroku then said a banishing prayer and watched as the star began to heat, it's own energy burning away the remnants of the evil, purple color. The center returned to a glowing yellow again, and the yellow light flashed down through the tips, then vanished. In an instant, it stopped and the star was back to it's original appearance, a slightly milky-white translucent center with clear points, cool to the touch.  
  
Miroku exhaled and smiled in exhausted but happy victory. "It's done!" he said. "The force that came through her dream is gone."  
  
He lowered the star. Sango rushed over to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him, full on the lips.  
  
The surprised monk looked ecstatic. "Why lady Sango!" he exclaimed somewhat smugly, "I thought I wouldn't get another reward for a week," he tried to contain it, but couldn't hide his huge smile of enjoyment. The rush of blood caused his heart to race again, but not in fear this time, but in simple relief and a happiness that was far from simple.  
  
"That wasn't for good behavior, Miroku. That was for saving Kagome.  
  
"You still have to wait a full week for the next one," she said, and couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him. Before letting go of him, she grabbed him again, not kissing him, but hugging him, burying her head to his chest before forcefully stepping back.  
  
Inuyasha was holding Kagome's hand, sitting beside her. He watched her sleeping normally now, moving slightly and breathing in a steady rhythm.  
  
After what she had just been through, he knew he should just let her sleep, but when he thought no one was looking, he lifted her hand to his mouth and gave the tip of her index finger a playful nip.  
  
Kagome gave a soft sigh in her sleep, and her mouth curved into a small smile.  
  
At this little sign from her, Inuyasha's face broke into a happy grin. Behind him, where he was not aware he was being watched, Sango, Kaede, and Miroku all smiled.  
  
It was the Valentine's Day party at the club. Kagome was dressed in her slinky red velvet tank-top and low-rider jeans. She remembered this outfit, this night. She was dressed to kill.  
  
She made her way through the strobbing lights past the dance floor to her regular table.  
  
A group was gathered in the semi-darkness, playing cards, five men and one woman.  
  
Chloe gave a high-pitched laugh as she took off her engagement ring and placed it in the middle of the table.  
  
"Next time it's going to be the real thing, baby!" Brad said to her with a leering smile.  
  
"There won't be a next time because I'm winning. If there is, I'll give you my panty-hose, but that's all!"  
  
"That's fine 'cause I know you 'aint got nothing underneath them!" he grinned widely.  
  
The group broke out into hardy laughter.  
  
"Ooh baby!" Ricky called, turning to Kagome. "Pull up a chair and join the game!"  
  
About thirty minutes later, Kagome began tossing more in her sleep, mumbling incoherently. Miroku stepped closer, beside Inuyasha just to make sure nothing supernatural was beginning again.  
  
Suddenly, she sat up, her eyes opened and gave Miroku a hard punch to the side of the jaw.  
  
As Miroku reeled back in stunned pain, she yelled, "I told you I'm not taking off my top, asshole!"  
  
She slumped back down and closed her eyes. Inuyasha watched with a mixture of amusement and alarm. "What the hell is she dreaming about now?" he wondered. He gave Miroku a suspicious look, causing the still-startled monk to retreat rapidly to the far wall.  
  
He and Miroku were both relieved to see her eye color had returned to normal, even if she was still experiencing some kind of strange dream.  
  
After a few minutes, she began talking in her sleep again, but didn't open her eyes or sit up.  
  
"I take truth," she said, a slight frown furrowing her delicate brow. A couple minutes later the silence was broken ". . . . Yes I am, but just because someone's a virgin doesn't mean they don't have fun!" Kagome said, turning over.  
  
A collective gasp was uttered by the humans, and a blush spread across the faces in the room, Inuyasha's face the reddest by far. Sango approached her, feeling she needed to do something to stop Kagome for saying something even more personally indicting. When she reached her side, Sango gently laid her hand on top of Kagome's. Kagome's eyes opened and locked on hers as she tightly grasped her hand.  
  
"You can't marry him! Can't you see what a womanizer he is?! He's a drunk and a bum, and you deserve better!" Her eyes closed again and she released Sango's hand. It was Sango's turn to turn crimson and, for no real reason, she turned on Miroku, giving him a withering stare.  
  
"What?!" the monk protested, still rubbing his bruised jaw. "I just saved her! That's all I did, I swear it!"  
  
Twenty minutes later, the group gathered round her bed, watching and listening for what was coming next.  
  
She continued to talk every few minutes. At times the group was baffled by her meaning, like when she said, "strawberry margarita," and "fuzzy navel."  
  
Other times she said things that were embarrassing, or personally revealing. Despite their concern for her, there were moments of laughter.  
  
When Kaede approached, Kagome said suddenly, "Here, hon, try my chocolate lip-gloss. Paul loved the way it tasted on me."  
  
Inuyasha reddened with anger as everyone else tried to suppress embarrassed laughter.  
  
Inuyasha growled softly. He had enough of this. It was time for Kagome to wake up.  
  
Her set was over and she was standing with Mika by the side of the dance floor. They were talking over the music when they both stopped. Walking past her was a veritable god. He was tall, thin, and muscular, and looked incredible in a white t-shirt and jeans. His flowing hair was long and jet- black, almost as long as her own. His eyes were dark, almost jet, like his hair, and were an incredible contrast set-off against his warm tan. He was the sexiest man she had seen in a very long time. She stared at him as he turned toward the bar. Who did he remind her of?–God, yes! He looked just a little like Inuyasha had during his human transformations.  
  
Mika said, "hot prospect, nine o'clock. I'm going in!"  
  
"Back-off Mika! Kagome said. . . .  
  
". . . .I saw him first!" she said aloud in the hut, this time sounding angry.  
  
The group watched her as she seemed at first to be arguing with someone, and suddenly smiling, enjoying herself.  
  
She left Mika and walked over to him. Mika was fun, but sometimes she was just too pushy. She wanted every guy she saw, but something about this man attracted Kagome. She wasn't going to let Mika take this chance away from her. It was Valentine's, and, in the mood of the party, she felt much bolder than usual.  
  
She walked up to him and she saw he noticed her. She smiled as she came beside him. "Hi!" she said smiling.  
  
"Hi," he said back. "I saw your act. You're amazing."  
  
Kagome blushed and averted her eyes for a moment. "Thanks," she said, smiling shyly.  
  
"Look," she added, raising her eyes, "I don't normally do this, but would you like to dance with me?"  
  
"I'd love to," he replied, dark eyes sparkling with male satisfaction.  
  
Kagome smiled and walked ahead of him to the dance floor. He came up beside her, surprising her by taking her hand in his own. She didn't pull away. Together they made their way through the crowd. They found a spot just as the music turned to a slow-dance.  
  
"I'm dancing with a stranger! I don't even know his name," she thought, as the man brought his hands to her waist and she raised her own arms to his shoulders. She smiled and leaned into him slightly, closing her eyes, enjoying the song and the sensation.  
  
Everything was perfect,. . . for about one minute. Then Michael was there, beside them.  
  
"Aa-hum!" he coughed loudly.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him.  
  
"It's getting late Kay, time to go home."  
  
WHY did he have to show up every time she was having fun? Couldn't he let her enjoy herself without being babysat for one damn night?!. . . .  
  
Whatever Kagome was dreaming now, Inuyasha saw she was happy, smiling peacefully. She murmured and nuzzled her head into the air. Then she was talking again.  
  
"Buzz-off ! I'm not leaving now. I'm dancing with my new friend.. . .  
  
. . . .Get your own date Michael! Leave me alone!  
  
. . . .I said I'm not going home with you!. . . .  
  
. . . .If I want to dance with him all night I will. I'll do what ever I want with him! You can't stop me!"  
  
. . . .LET GO OF ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!"  
  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and looked down at her. His face was as red as his coat. She was with some man in her dream and enjoying herself.  
  
"That stupid bastard can't control her at all!" he thought.  
  
Inuyasha bent down over her face and brought his own eyes very close to hers. He reached down and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "You don't ever have to go home with Michael Kagome, but you're coming home with ME, now!" He growled into her ear.  
  
Kagome's eyes flew open, meeting Inuyasha's. She gasped in surprise and then blinked, trying to regain her bearings.  
  
She blinked as the room came into focus.  
  
"Inuyasha, what happened?" she asked.  
  
He was still holding her tightly by the wrist, still leaning over her. He wasn't sure she was really awake until she spoke his name.  
  
His anger over her dream evaporated, a feeling of total lightness and relief replacing it.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to sit up.  
  
Gently he pushed her back down.  
  
"Nothing's wrong Kagome, not now. I've brought you home," he whispered into her ear.  
  
He brought his mouth quickly to hers and kissed her, not caring who saw.  
  
It had been a long night. After everyone greeted Kagome and expressed their relief and joy that she was truly alright, it was late. Kaede went back to her own hut to sleep and Miroku and Sango bedded down for the night.  
  
Kagome was recovering, but she was still weak. Her friends had told her what had happened to her, how she had nearly drowned before Inuyasha saved her, how Miroku and Sango saved her from something that attacked her in a dream with her grandfather's amulet.  
  
The gratitude she felt for what her friends had done for her was immense. She realized that if she had not given Miroku the amulet last night, she may not be talking to them now.  
  
"I guess my grandfather really did know more than I thought he did," she said smiling meekly. "It seems as if he was looking out for me, knowing that I would need it someday," she said, giving an involuntary shiver. "Miroku, Sango, thank you," she said, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
She looked down for a moment then brought her eyes up to meet Inuyasha's.  
  
There was no way she could say thank you to him. He had saved her from drowning, that much she had been told, but she had a sense that it was something more. He had stayed with her through the attack, even though he was at-risk of being attacked by her. He had done something else, too--she wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel it. He had somehow been there with her in the dark, giving her an anchor with his will, something for her to reach out to and hold when she was lost. Without him, she knew, she would still be drifting in darkness.  
  
He sat beside her, his expression intense and unfathomable as he met her gaze. "I don't know how to begin to thank-you," she said plainly, almost in a whisper.  
  
He stared back at her his expression unchanging. "You woke up," he said. "It's enough."  
  
She smiled at him through a rush of fresh tears.  
  
Sango and Miroku had drifted-off to a well deserved sleep, and, even though she knew she had been sleeping for hours, Kagome was feeling the need to rest too.  
  
She had an amazing headache, and got up to search through her duffle bag. She found her bottle of aspirin, and quickly swallowed one, making a face at the bitter taste before sitting back down on her bedding. Inuyasha watched her.  
  
"What did you just eat?" he asked.  
  
"I just took some medicine. I have a headache and it helps."  
  
"Let me see," he asked, indicating the bottle.  
  
Kagome shrugged and tossed him the plastic bottle.  
  
Inuyasha shook it, listened to the sound of the pills rattling. He tried to remove the child-proof cap, making Kagome smile despite her aching head.  
  
"How do you open this?" he asked finally.  
  
She popped the cap and handed the bottle back to him. He looked down into the opening at the white pills and sniffed. The aroma was sharp and unpleasant. He tipped the bottle and shook one out, holding it in his palm.  
  
"Inuyasha, do you have a headache or something?" she asked wondering why he was so interested in the aspirin.  
  
He shook his head and handed it back to her. "No," he said. "But if I did I'd take some of Kaede's herbs. These smell horrible."  
  
Kagome smiled and closed the bottle. She laid down on her bedding and yawned, glancing at Inuyasha who still didn't move.  
  
"Uum, Inuyasha, aren't you going to go now?"  
  
"No, "he said. "I'm staying here. I'm going to watch you sleep tonight," he said in a low voice.  
  
Kagome blushed. "That's really not necessary, and besides, you need to sleep too. You can't watch over me all the time!"  
  
"Yes, I can. I told you, I'm not leaving you."  
  
"Well, then I won't sleep either. I can't sleep while you're sitting there staring down at me!"  
  
He gave a sigh. "Okay then I won't sit and stare at you. Move over."  
  
"What?!" she replied, her voice sounding too high-pitched, betraying her surprise..  
  
"Move over so I can lay down beside you. I'm not leaving your side tonight, so if you want either of us to get any sleep, you need to just let me lay down."  
  
She looked at him, trying to think about giving a rude response that would get him to go back out into a tree. After all he had done for her tonight, she couldn't think of one thing she could bring herself to say. She moved over, and he lay down beside her.  
  
"You know how this is going to look, don't you?" she said, thinking about what their friends were going to think when they woke in the morning and found them laying together.  
  
"Kagome, I don't give one damn how it looks," he said. He looked at her so sincerely, she was embarrassed by her own sense of prim decorum, which now seemed petty. He was protecting her, taking care of her and once again, she was acting less than grateful for it.  
  
"Goodnight Inuyasha," she whispered. She looked at him, eyes darting rapidly as she stuggled with herself for several seconds.  
  
He was watching her, giving her a look that let her know he was beginning to get annoyed again. Knowing she shouldn't for many reasons, she gave him a soft kiss on his surprised mouth before quickly turning away from him and facing the wall. 'But there are many reasons why you should kiss him, and many more reasons why you want to,' she thought to herself. She could still feel the lingering warmth and taste of him on her lips as she tried to will herself to sleep. In the morning, she would have to sort things out with him, but for now, she was going to allow herself to enjoy his closeness, maybe for the last time.  
  
Beside her, Inuyasha also reveled in the warmth of her kiss. He was painfully aware of her with all his senses, and he lay still, trying to will his excitement away with slow, deep breaths. He wanted to groan, he wanted to. . . .  
  
Earlier this very day, he had planned to lay sleeping with her tonight, just like this, holding her as his new mate. Now he was laying beside her, very close to her, but separated by so much doubt and misunderstanding. Still, even that didn't matter. What mattered was that he hadn't lost her tonight, she was alive, breathing beside him. 


	22. The Need For Air

  
  
Chapter 22 The Need For Air  
  
Kagome's biorhythms maintained her routine, despite her lack of and need for sleep. Her internal clock was preset to 4:30 a.m. She woke with a start, feeling strangely warm and claustrophobic. Disoriented in the dark, her mind raced with her eyes for orientation.  
  
She was lying on her bedding, hot from the covers, closed in from the weight of–Inuyasha's arm?  
  
'Why is Inuyasha lying next to me and holding me?' she thought, trying to suppress a mild panic attack.  
  
She remembered the night before–the fight with Inuyasha over Paul's "mark," her soak in the hot springs with Sango, opening up to Sango about the last two years of her life and her feelings for the three men that, in one way or another, she was bound to now. A fresh memory came to her, one that returned her to feelings of rising panic:  
  
'Inuyasha. . . . . what happens to him in my time? What happens to all the demons from this era?'  
  
The question wasn't just idle curiosity for her. Somehow, its answer was looming, eminent, scaring the shit out of her. It was why she had risked connecting with Michael across time itself. She didn't even know if it would work, but, thankfully, it had. She heard him, his voice, full of concern for her in her head as clearly as if they were speaking together in the same room. She hoped she conveyed the urgency of her question to Michael. She had refused to break the connection even though she knew it was dangerous to the point of foolishness to use so much energy. She felt a darkness being drawn to her, rapidly coming closer. She couldn't fully shield herself from a spiritual attack being so completely open, but kept her mental and spiritual defenses down until she had extracted a promise from Michael, his promise to investigate immediately what Inuyasha's fate in her time might be.  
  
The rest she was told by her concerned friends–passing out in the water, Inuyasha's rescue, the attacker who came through her dreams again, this time almost killing her. Her friends had all worked to save her, but Inuyasha's strength brought her back. She knew her connection to him had been her lifeline, but she didn't know how or why. She had been exhausted, but very grateful to have come through it.  
  
'Michael's right. I can't contact him like that again; it's too dangerous. If I die now, how can I do what I'm meant to? I don't want to screw things up again.' She frowned in the dark, remembering another problem: 'Now that I've done this, I don't know how long the effects will last. I have to be careful. I can't afford any 'mind slips' now.'  
  
She exhaled deeply, feeling the dead-weight of the hanyou's arm rise and fall on top of the blankets that covered her. 'Time to start the day,' she thought. The only problem was, how was she supposed to go about her normal routine with this arm, and the half-demon connected to it, holding her?  
  
She decided on a plan to get free. She needed to move slowly and quietly, taking lots of time, no rushing. She had practiced the art of the slow, quiet escape many times over the years at her mother's. She just hoped she wasn't too rusty.  
  
'Here goes nothing!' she closed her eyes tightly, willing her plan to work.  
  
Uttering a sleeping moan and breath on purpose, Kagome rolled over, as far away from Inuyasha as the wall would let her, and she felt his arm gently drop to the empty bedding. Immediately she felt the absence of his warmth, missed it.  
  
'No movement now. Lie still. Don't even breath. For gods-sake, control your breathing! He'll hear you with those damn ears of yours if you don't relax. That's it, breath. . . . just breath like your still asleep. . . ."  
  
After forcing herself to lie very still for several minutes, Kagome used all the agility her body possessed to go from a horizontal position to standing with almost no sideways movements and no stopping. Fluidly, she got up, her bare feet standing on top of the bedding. She was grateful none of her bones popped or that she hadn't ruffled the heavy blankets. Any sound now would put an abrupt halt to her escape. She looked down at the dark, sleeping form. Covered by a blanket and his coat, Inuyasha's sleeping body took on extra mass. His face and even hair were hidden, covered by the blanket that was draped over his head.  
  
If only his body was turned away from the wall where she now stood, instead of facing it. God, she didn't want to see those eyes fly open now.  
  
'Okay. It's a little unconventional, but I can run in my nightshirt. My shoes are right outside the hut, and for today, I can run with my thoughts instead of my music. This will work. I need to do this.'  
  
It was more than keeping to her carefully balanced routine that was driving Kagome's will to run. For some reason, she felt caged in the dark hut. The air was heavy, weighed down by the sounds of her friends' breathing. She desperately wanted to feel the cool rush of air against her skin, to feel her legs rising and falling with the rhythms of her own heart. She needed some space, a chance to re-balance from all the events of yesterday.  
  
Kagome looked down at Inuyasha for several minutes longer, paralyzed by a strange mixture of desire and fear. 'If I don't move now, I won't,' she told herself, half tempted to snuggle back into too-inviting warmth.  
  
Taking a silent, deep breath and offering a prayer that the floor-boards wouldn't betray her, Kagome stepped with the grace and light-footedness of a cat.  
  
'One, two, three , four. Four steps and I'm out the door!' she chanted happily to herself. She stood at the threshold. Now, could she get out without a sound? Her hands shook as she lifted the latch, hearing the wood brush against the wood of the door, she slowed down, begging the door to grant her freedom.  
  
'PLEEASE! OPEN SESAME!'  
  
The latch was up. Kagome opened her eyes that she had squeezed closed and ever so gingerly, pressed her hand on the door. It opened outward soundlessly as a crack of dark, cool air, enveloped her left foot.  
  
She paused only long enough to also her relief to catch-up with her adrenadline rush. She knew she was ridiculous for it, but Kagome was superstitious about inanimate objects, especially those made out of wood or stone. 'Thank you,' she mouthed in silent whisper to the door.  
  
Without cracking the door any further, the lithe woman turned sideways and glided out. She made out the darkened shape of her shoes on the porch and smiled. She turned back at the open door, considering whether or not to risk closing it. "It isn't open very far, and besides, it's so hot in there, it will take awhile for the cool air make a difference."  
  
Sitting down on the cold earth, her thighs and panties getting damp and cold, Kagome quickly slipped on her running shoes and stood up. She didn't want to waste time with stretching. Her body was itching with the desire to run. Her leg muscles tensed, and Kagome took off, feeling exuberant and not wanting to look back.  
  
She ran with her head slightly tilted up, smiling happily. She was giving welcome to the chilled touch of the morning air on her face and loving it, when she ran straight into a solid, but soft wall of red and glowing orange.  
  
Kagome screamed, but even before she did this reflex, her mind acted first. "It's Inuyasha. You don't want to hurt him. Don't be scared."  
  
Unrepelled, Inuyasha grabbed her and quickly covered her still-screaming mouth with his hand.  
  
"SSSH!" he hissed loudly. "Do you want to wake up every fucking beast in the forest and the entire village?!" She shook her head under his hand, indicating a "no."  
  
He kept his hand on her mouth as he said "Why the fuck did you even try that, stupid girl! I told you, I'm coming with you wherever you go. Do you understand me, bitch!"  
  
Oh, she understood, she understood that right now, he was a big asshole. An asshole with eyes that happened to be scaring the shit out of her and a cold voice threatening in her ear.  
  
Kagome's panic wasn't rational, it was something more base, almost instinctual. She bit his hand, hard.  
  
"Ow!" Damn it Kagome!" he hissed, as he drew his hand back.  
  
Kagome knew she couldn't get away from him without activating the spell, and her mind was blocking that from happening with all the restraining miko power she had.  
  
"Inuyasha, quick!" she whispered, "Behind you!"  
  
Not sensing anything, he still released her and turned. She darted past him, driven only by her urge to flee.  
  
She had no idea what her little trick had done to him, how angering him now had excited him to a dangerous level, making his instinctive desire to give chase to an elusive female stronger than her own desire to run.  
  
He gave her just enough of a head start to allow his own anticipation to build, and then came after her, his demon-blood surging with power. The urge to pursue his chosen mate was overriding any of his human thoughts or senses. He gave chase unaware of his eyes changing from light orange to dark, rimmed in deepest red that was threatening to bleed through and dominate.  
  
She ran in the darkness with only the dim light of the stars and a thin, crescent moon to guide her. What she thought would be a run for pleasure, felt more like a run for her life. She was running in darkness and more than once she stumbled, was cut by low branches in many places. She was beyond reason as the darkness, the knowledge of being chased, and the running triggered a recent memory that wasn't real, but from her dreams. She felt the forest closing in on her, threatening to crush her.  
  
Cold stone. Cold stone.  
  
The blood from her scratches reached his nose and his hairs stood on end, and somehow, was enough to get through the haze of his raging desire to hunt prey.  
  
'Damn it, she's hurt!. Just wait till I get my hands on her!' At first he was driven to pursuit by his own anger mixed with desire, a dangerous combination. Whatever game she was playing by trying to get away from him, he wasn't going to tolerate. Now something else hit his senses–her fear. It was rolling off her in waves, and the wake of it hit him strongly. He slowed down only imperceptibly as his mind shifted from anger to concern.  
  
'She's so scared. Why? Am I the reason she's afraid?' These thoughts made him feel miserable. His desire to catch her was not lessened, but changed to more-human motivation. 'How could she ever think I would hurt her?' He remembered their last argument, before she went to the springs, and her parting words came back with a fresh force:  
  
". . . . You just leave me the hell alone, Inuyasha," I don't want you near me, understand!"  
  
Was it possible that she was still angry with him about that after all? She didn't act angry after she woke up from her nightmare, but what else could make her act this way?  
  
She stumbled over a gnarled root and winced in pain. She knew she had to re-gain her momentum fast, something was closing in on her and once caught, there would be no escape.  
  
He grabbed her from behind and held her forcefully. As she let out a gasp of fear, he said her name, trying to sound calmer than he felt. The fear he felt from her was growing, and its force was affecting him too, causing him to shiver and hold on tighter.  
  
"Kagome please stop this!" he said again. Then he felt himself expelled from her spirit-boundary with explosive force.  
  
'Hell! Here we go again!' he thought, bracing himself for a painful impact. But the impact never came. Once thrown past her barrier, he felt her project her own energy to shield him. His back made contact with a massive tree slower than natural. His air was forced back out of his lungs and he felt a twinge of pain in his lower back, but he should have brought the tree down with the force of the impact.  
  
'She's using her miko powers to protect me from Michael's charm! Scared as she is, she still doesn't want to hurt me!' he thought with amazement.  
  
If she was this scared, so scared that it triggered the spell when he touched her, and yet she protected him, what did that mean? 'It's not me she's afraid of. It's something else.'  
  
She began running again, sore from her nearly-twisted ankle, the bumps and scratches, and the stitch in her side and calves from running too fast.  
  
He followed her. Knowing where she was going he stayed back from her barrier, but still close enough to protect her from unexpected threats. He hoped that if Kagome didn't feel like he was chasing her anymore, she might slow down. He was worried about her really hurting herself.  
  
Below him, Kagome ran on, her eyes stinging with tears. She could think of only one thing: 'I have to get away from him. If I'm near him, it will take him. I can't let it hurt him!'  
  
He was relieved to see that he was right, she was slowing down, going at a more regular pace like he had seen her run yesterday morning. Once again, she approached the river.  
  
'Please don't let the stupid wench dive in again!' he prayed to whatever gods might be listening.  
  
When she reached the water's edge this time, she stopped. After walking back and forth, pacing like a trapped animal for several minutes while her heart rate slowed, she allowed herself to drop to a sitting position in the grass before lying down on her stomach by the water's edge, her head lying on her arms.  
  
He approached cautiously, he didn't want to upset her, but it bothered him that she was shutting him out again, lying in the cold, dark grass rather than under warm blankets next to him where he wanted her to be. He called out before getting close so as not to surprise her.  
  
"Kagome, taking a nap in wet grass? This is almost as good an idea as your 'swim' yesterday," he smirked. She didn't turn, but he could tell by the way her body tensed slightly that she heard him and at least wasn't going to be startled again, provoking them both. He came beside her and crouched down.  
  
Her head was facing the grass, still resting on her folded arms. He knew she heard him and watched as her back rose and fell while her breathing and heart rate continued to slow. It bothered him that she gave no sign of recognition or caring that he was with her.  
  
"Hey!" he said after several minutes of feeling shut-out, "Why the hell did you bolt back there?"  
  
At first the only indication that she gave that she heard him at all was a slight stiffening, then she gave a deep sigh, finally turning her head on her side to face him. He could smell her tears before he saw them, which immediately caused his aggravation with her to lessen and his concern to deepen. Without thinking, he brushed his palm over her glossy hair and let it slip to the nape of her neck, where he rubbed slow, gentle circles.  
  
He closed his eyes and took in a swift, steadying breath. Her scent, strongly female in its mixture of sweat and the fragrance of her soap and shampoo, enticed him.  
  
He was SO aware of her body as he glanced down at her-- her petite frame, the lovely curves of her round breasts, her sweet indentation of her waist and her deliciously flat stomach, the way her hips flared ever so slightly, the creamy skin of her tight thighs, the promise of what was nestled between them. He wanted her, all of her, to belong to him.  
  
When had he become so damn focused on her?  
  
'When I realized I loved her. . . .no, before that,' he chided himself. Long before. Both sides of his nature, demon and human, desired nothing more now than to show her exactly how he felt, to comfort her and melt away the remaining tension in her small, curvy body.  
  
"Inuyasha I'm so sorry. I, I just had to get out for awhile. I can't really explain it," she said, dropping her voice and her eyes. "I'm sorry I bit you. Does it hurt?"  
  
He actually laughed. Of all the demons and animals he had to fight over the years and of all the bites he had been on the receiving end of, Kagome's surprised him the most.  
  
"Maybe I should just bite you back so you can find out for yourself how it feels, wench!" he teased. It was an attempt to reestablish some normalcy, the regular banter that existed between them.  
  
She looked back up and gave a smirk of her own. "Maybe you better let me see it. Human bites can be really nasty. There are more germs in a person's mouth than in a dog –"she stopped mid-word, a deep blush crawling up her face as her hand flew to cover her offending mouth.  
  
Inuyasha raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Hmph! I could have told you that. Nothing stinks as bad as human breath, especially a human's breath right after they wake-up."  
  
His eyes sparkled merrily. He enjoyed throwing that little insult her way, knowing no retaliatory 'sit' would come from it.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth opened as she realized he just told her she reeked of morning breath.  
  
"BITE ME!" she said, sneering in an exact replica of her "I-hate-you-Sota" look.  
  
As soon as it slipped out, she realized her mistake.  
  
'Oh shit. Wrong imagry. Wrong situation. Wrong dog-demon.' She felt the hot blush spread to the roots of her hair.  
  
Looking at her face as she realized what she just said to him, a truly evil grin spread across the hanyou's face.  
  
"Inuyasha–I–"  
  
Too late. He grabbed her arms and flipped her onto her back in an instant. Before she could respond, he covered her with his the force of his body. Leaning his head close to hers and still grinning wickedly, he gave a husky whisper, breathing hotly in ear.  
  
"WHERE?" he asked.  
  
Keeping her arms pinned, he lifted his face to take in her reaction. He had meant it as a teasing come-back of his own, although not without a potential threat if she did something really, really stupid to provoke him. That's when he saw it. The way she way laying, her arms pinned, the collar of her shirt twisted slightly to the side, revealing the lovely, smooth juncture skin at the base of her neck.  
  
'Shit. Look at that! This is what you've been wanting. It would be so easy to just mark her now and take her. . . . WHAT? Are you some kind of idiot?! Do you want her to hate you?! No, but she's the one who said. . . . FOOL! You know THAT'S not what she meant!'  
  
He shook off the strong tug at his impulses, but still felt deeply satisfied seeing her wide-eyed shock and re-heated blush. But then as she squirmed ever-so-slightly, trying to twist her body away from him, the rubbing pressure. . . .  
  
'Oh Gods!' It was all he could do to suppress a groan.  
  
Kagome gasped and looked up at him, eyes saucer-wide as the evidence of his arousal pressed through his clothing. He knew she was aware of him now--of his state and hers. He watched her, dreading to see and sense the impending panic returning to her. But Kagome didn't try to flee. She didn't move. She barely breathed, though he could hear and feel her heart pounding wildly beneath him.  
  
He knew if she really wanted to get away she had power at her disposal. Unless she used the spell to expel him from her boundary, however, he knew his own strength could easily overpower her. But he never wanted to or imagined doing that to her, not again. Still ,the fact that she was not struggling now gave him an additional measure of—what?  
  
First amusement, then confusion, and then, hope. She didn't really want to get away from him, now did she?  
  
Their eyes locked as they stared intently at each other, one beat, two beats, three beats. . . .  
  
Sexual tension virtually crackled the air around them, promising to explode at any second in a burst of heat and desire that Inuyasha could almost taste, almost hear--that is, until another sound reached in his ears, stunning him into disbelief.  
  
Kagome began laughing, laughing so much that her abdomen gently shook and her eyes closed.  
  
He should have expected it. Whatever the least likely and appropriate response was to any situation, Kagome would have it. Heaving a deep sigh, he released her arms and moved himself to a sitting position beside her, watching her, as she kept laughing, closing her tearing eyes as the situation became even funnier to her.  
  
He felt a quick surge of shame, embarrassment, and felt his anger begin to return. Was she laughing at him?  
  
She sat up beside him, catching her breath.  
  
"Oh Inuyasha! You and I—We—Oh the hell with it! You're still a jerk."  
  
"And you're still a damn idiot. You asked for a bite. You're lucky I don't give you one, you fucking-well deserve it!" He said, sounding more annoyed than he truly felt.  
  
She slowed her breathing down to slow pants, and with a wide smile and looking at him through tearing eyes, said, "Inuyasha, I'm sorry. You're right."  
  
"Again, Kagome."  
  
"Huh?" she replied, baffled.  
  
"Say those words again, slower this time."  
  
She looked up at him and rolled her eyes before saying "Inuyasha. I am sorry. You are right." She met his eyes and tried to sneer but it came out as a grin anyway. "There! I said it, TWICE. I hope this won't make you impossible to live with from now on!"  
  
He thought about her words, wondering at the possibilities.  
  
'Does she mean that she wants to live with me?' He forced himself to not dwell on this interpretation, although a rush of vivid pictures surged through his mind—happy pictures of himself and Kagome, lying in each other's arms, living together, mated, a child in her arms—  
  
'Whoa! STOP right there!'  
  
Suddenly sobering, he looked down at her and said, "Tell me why."  
  
She looked at him, puzzled.  
  
"Why did you run from me?" he asked.  
  
Kagome looked up at his eyes, suddenly so serious, almost sad.  
  
She knew he wasn't forcing her, but in his own gruff way, asking her to let him in. Inuyasha her dear friend. No matter how insensitive he could be, both in battle and talking by starlight, he had shown her his gentle side. She loved him so much, she hurt. It was not the dull ache of a painful memory, an echo of a long-buried feeling, but fresh and raw, new all over again. Two years plus five hundred more of distance had only intensified what she felt for him when she left, so rash, so young.  
  
Breathing in his unique scent of fresh woods and pure male strength she realized she was experiencing a painfully familiar feeling. For the first time in years she felt truly, completely content. It was, she thought, a breathtaking revelation. Happiness, true happiness, was dazzlingly simple. For a heartbeat, she allowed herself to close her eyes and cling to the moment.  
  
Earlier, when he was on top of her and close, way too close, she felt him. She FELT him, and panicked. She had wanted to reach up and bury her hands in his silken hair, to pull him closer and loose herself in his mouth, his touch, his taste, his feel.  
  
She couldn't. No. Even if he was temporarily confused—alright, even if he was a little in lust with her—it was just a normal physical response. Not love. 'I'm not who he wants, not really.'  
  
Her rapidly numbing brain had reminded her body of that fact just in time.  
  
As always, she used laughter as her cover. Laughter wasn't the best medicine, as her mother had been so fond of saying. It was just a place to hide.  
  
The exhilaration of their earlier closeness had set her on edge, but the warmth of his nearness did what it always did, it burned away everything cold, everything dark. He was here and that was enough. She was filled with a sense of the sublime bitter-sweet beauty that was their friendship, feeling like she would remember this night and carry it with her into her future, a future without him.  
  
". . . .Without him. . . ." her mind repeated. She unconsciously dug her fingers into the grass, pulling out a wet clump in her tightly-clutched fist. Suddenly, she had to suppress the urge to scream, to run. She looked down and closed her eyes. Inuyasha could tell immediately something was wrong again. The fear, that god-damned fear was back, her odor was covered in it, she was practically drowning right her in front of him.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said, holding her eyes closed and keeping her head down, "tell me what you see in my hand," she said, opening her hand, slowly. "Oh dear God, Let it not be!"  
  
He looked down at her white-knuckled hand, truly perplexed. "What's going on with her? Is she loosing her mind?" With the fear coming off her and her odd behavior he was getting more concerned by the second.  
  
"Grass. Grass and dirt," he said.  
  
She breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "Good! Good, good, good. It isn't real. I feel wet sand here, I smell salt water, but it isn't real. It's just, it's just something in my head. Push it away. It's not real."  
  
"Kagome, what the hell is going on with you?" he asked. It was a demand, not a question.  
  
She opened her eyes and looked up at him weakly. "I think I'm just having some after-effects from that last dream is all. I think it's why I wanted to run, even run away from you."  
  
He looked at her, his concern now sharply focused. She was remembering more about the dreams. This was important. "Why, what happened in the dream. Was I chasing you? Is that why you were afraid of me?"  
  
She shook her head sharply and looked sincerely into his eyes. "No!" she said shaking her head in adamant denial. "I was never afraid of you. I, I was afraid FOR you. I needed to get away before. . . .I needed to keep you safe."  
  
This stunned him. He couldn't believe what she was saying. "She ran to protect ME? From what?" his mind asked. "This actually makes some sense. . . .She wanted to protect me–I saw it earlier when she wouldn't let the protection spell slam me into a tree, and now she says it's the reason she was running. She was trying to protect ME. What does it mean, what was her dream about??"  
  
"Kagome, what the hell are you talking about? Was something really chasing you? Is that why you were running?" If something was endangering her again she couldn't keep it from him. He filled with sudden dread.  
  
Again she shook her head. "No, I didn't feel anything chasing me, I just, I needed to run, that's all. It was only when I was outside the hut that I had this sensation–no memory really, from my dream. That's what was getting to me, making me want to run, not you. Never you Inuyasha."  
  
His eyes met her meaningful gaze. "Never you Inuyasha," she had said. She was reassuring him, telling him that she trusted him. He was, he admitted, more than a little pleased to see her obvious concern for his feelings, but the implications of her dream still bothered him.  
  
"Tell you what you remember."  
  
She closed her eyes. "It's not much. Only, only–"  
  
"Yes–"he prodded.  
  
"For just a second there, I thought I we were at the ocean, not the river. I felt wet sand in my hand, not grass. In my dream there was wet sand. I remember that. I was on a beach, in the rain."  
  
He looked at her trying to take in this information and what it could mean. He wondered if this was a memory from her time, a vacation that she had taken at the beach when she was younger. He remembered her speaking of this. His brow furrowed in concern. No, that couldn't be it. She wasn't afraid then, and she was definitely afraid now. What was behind that fear? He had a dreaded sense that Naraku had to be behind this, but what happened in the dream? He knew even if she didn't remember, there were people who could interpret dreams. Maybe Kaede could help. He decided later to ask her. If he could find her, Kikyo might be able to help too, but would she want to? He frowned again, unsure of the un-dead miko's feelings now and if she would be willing to help. His better instincts flared in warning. No, asking Kikyo was probably not a good idea.  
  
He took in a deep breath and folded his arms across his chest.  
  
How many times had Kagome seen him in this "stubborn Inuyasha" pose? She tried hard not to crack a smile as she glanced at him, sideways. This was his no-verbal way of communicating everything from mild annoyance with humans to supreme aggravation, and letting all others know it was HE who was unchallengeable in masculine control and domination.  
  
But this was the pose he also struck when he needed to cover deeper emotions, painful ones. At those times, her heart ached to see him like this and know that what she most desperately wanted to happen never would. If she could just go to him. Comfort him. If he would just accept it. . . .  
  
She was started at of her reflections when she heard his deep voice, his resolve clear.  
  
"Kagome, whatever the hell you're dealing with, you're not pushing me away again, understand?"  
  
Before she could answer he continued swiftly, matter-of-factly. "No more nonsense about you protecting me. I protect you. You won't go anywhere without me, and I'm not going to tolerate any more of your stupid attempts to slink off in the night."  
  
"Inuyasha—you have no right to tell me what I may do and what I won't!" she stormed, rounding on him.  
  
He grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes narrow and keenly focused.  
  
"I have every right. I have that right because I care about what happens to you. I'm going to keep you, Kagome— safe."  
  
This last word he managed to squeeze out after a heavy pause.  
  
Watching him now, her head was spinning. She wasn't sure how he had managed to dissolve her anger so quickly, but he had. Maybe it was because he used her name, and not the more likely tags of "bitch" or "stupid bitch." Maybe it was because he said he cared. It wasn't the same as saying love. . . 'hell,' she thought 'not even close.' Still, his intensity conveyed something, and instead of feeling insulted by his domineering tone, she felt truly cared about. Maybe she wasn't the great love of his close-to-immortal life, but, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she meant more to him than she ever fully appreciated.  
  
'What?' she wondered. 'If not love, then . . . . the deepest kind of plutonic love?' She wanted to wrinkle her nose at that idea. 'I already have a brother and a big-and-bad guardian protector back home. I also have a man who I admire but excites me as much as a can of Spam,' she thought, and then quickly blushed, shamed by her own cold bottom-line assessments. What she wanted was. . . .'Oh hell,' she thought. 'Here I go, round the dog-demon carousel again.'  
  
She looked up at him, trying to will back her latest flush of color. He was breathtaking. His eyes, his heartbreakingly handsome, stern face, his silken silver hair. The very sight of him moved her beyond reason.  
  
Despite her latest bout of Inuyasha-induced insanity, she hadn't felt so cared about since she was a small child with her father.  
  
Since there was nothing else she could do, she gave a happy smile and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.  
  
This surprised him, threatening his emotional resolve. He tried to pull away from her because he wanted to be clear with her, to be sure she understood this was not negotiable.  
  
"Kagome, I mean it. You can't push me away. You need to tell me what your're feeling so I can keep you safe."  
  
She returned his gaze and still smiling but serious, nodded and said "I will. Thank you Inuyasha. I never feel safer than I do with you. But I never want anything to happen to you either. I intend to keep you  
safe too."  
  
The clear intensity of her feelings startled him. He scanned her eyes, felt the truth of her feelings and felt his chest constrict with emotion. He remembered what she said at the springs about his happiness coming above all else for her, and now she was saying this to him, that she felt safer with him than with anyone else, "that must include Michael," he thought shocked  
  
'Gods, Kagome! How have you done this to me so quickly? I love you, want you, so damn much. Could it be–is it possible I still have a chance?'  
  
She reached back to hug him again, but he caught her in his arms and pulled her face to his, her mouth to his. The movement was sudden, but his lips met hers in a surprisingly soft embrace. She didn't fight the sensation of him, but gave herself up to the kiss, kissing him back. He couldn't believe it—this was real, this was mutual, and this was definitely NOT friendship.  
  
How exciting and natural this felt, and as she responded to him, pulling him closer, his own excitement rose, making him quicken and deepening the kiss. His tongue scanned her soft lips, teasing and asking for entrance. Slowly her lips parted, allowing his tongue to brush across her lips, her own tongue responding, coming to meet the tip of his as his fang tips lightly brushed her bottom lip, sending her body into shivers of pleasure. In mid-kiss, before their tongues met, she pulled back, panting, forcing herself not to look at him, knowing if she did she would never be able to pull back again.  
  
He looked at her, startled by the abruptness of her stopping the kiss first and then by her eyes. As she opened them, he saw them shift quickly from staggering white-blue to her own natural deep violet.  
  
He tried to suppress a gasp, his fingers curled in a reflex all their own, wanting to grasp Tetsiga. "What's happening to her? What the hell does that color mean?" It disturbed him immensely, and he couldn't help but feel that something was threatening her. She seemed oblivious to the change. Whatever was happening to her, it wasn't like when she was focusing her energy. That she said she could feel. When her eyes changed now, she wasn't even aware of it.  
  
Her eyes her own again, she looked at him "Inuyasha, NO!" she panted. "We can't do this! I'm sorry I let that happen. I shouldn't have. . . ." She looked down, and he could feel his heart constricting again. She definitely was responding to him, there was no mistaking the powerful scent of arousal coming from her, the passion in her voice even now. Why was she pushing him away? Now that she was aware of his feelings, had she changed hers afterall?  
  
'Did you ever really think she could accept you as you are? Do you think she's willing to give herself to a half-breed such as yourself?' His mind grasped first at these familiar thoughts of self-loathing. These feelings had become almost conditioned responses in his thinking. He started to chock back his own welling emotions of anger and embarrassment when his consciousness fought back--  
  
'Wait! She told you she had fallen in love with you before she left. She admitted that the first day you saw her again. It was why she left, she loved you and you made a vow to Kikyo. She chose you first, but you pushed her away. You're being a hanyou isn't her problem, shit-for-brains! Remember what she said to Sango? She still doesn't trust your feelings. She thinks it's Kikyo you really want and you gave her every reason to believe it. Hell, you tried to believe it yourself. You have to tell her how you feel if you want even a chance.'  
  
He stood up feeling shaky. His emotions were confusing him, sending him conflicting instructions. When she said "no" he felt first a rush of miserable guilt for taking an unwanted kiss from her. Then he felt more confusion and a small glimmering of hope as her thought about her undeniable responses to him and the things she had said before. Thinking about what he overheard at the springs and felt another twinge of guilt. 'I know more about how she feels from eavesdropping than from anything she's told me! I need to ask her.'  
  
"Why, Kagome? Tell me why we can't do this."  
  
Kagome saw the emotions flicker across his face as she took in his question. She saw pain, hurt, embarrassment, and felt her own heart break for what she was doing to him. This was her fault, not his. Someone he loved and missed terribly was out of his reach for now. Another woman, an almost exact copy of his love, was now kissing and hugging him every chance she got. It would be enough to confuse any man, and for a man who was half- demon, with stronger instincts, this kind of confusion could spell disaster.  
  
She stood up and nervously tugged at the corner of her shirt before folding her arms protectively across her chest. Facing him she took a deep breath and began speaking.  
  
"Inuyasha," she began, "what happened just now, what's been happening, I realize why it's been happening," she said, her voice a little too thin to sound as calm as she would have liked. She was going to stay firm, detached.  
  
'remember your substitute-teacher voice,' her mind called, willing her to remember the five days of sheer hell she spent filling in for Sota's math teacher at his junior high.  
  
He looked up at her in surprise. What would she say now? He waited expectantly for her to continue.  
  
"I think we've both been caught up in emotional transference. We are both separated from our significant others and it's only natural." There. Plainly stated. Now they could deal with it.  
  
He looked at her like she grew a third eye. "Kagome, what the hell are you talking about?!"  
  
'Okay, so the cool, intellectual approach didn't work. How about this–'  
  
"Look, I'm sorry I've been giving you the wrong signals. The truth is I miss Paul. I have been behaving in inappropriate ways for a woman about to be married, and I've confused you. I've been showing you more physical affection than usual because I miss Paul. I didn't mean to hurt you or use you, but that's no excuse. I'm really sorry and I promise, I'm not going to let it happen again."  
  
After a couple minutes of awkward silence, Inuyasha looked back at her.  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
"I beg your pardon."  
  
"You heard me, woman. That's a load of bullshit."  
  
"Inuyasha, what the hell do you mean by that?!" An angry blush spread across Kagome's face as the light of daybreak filled the sky.  
  
"You don't love him."  
  
"I do."  
  
"No you don't"  
  
"YES I DO! I LOVE PAUL! I love Paul and only Paul. No one else. I'm marrying Paul. I'm–  
  
Kagome looked down at her hand, horrified. She let out a low moan.  
  
"NOO!"  
  
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, WHAT NOW?!"  
  
"MY RING! I've lost my ring! Oh Inuyasha! It was loose! I knew it was too loose to wear! Stupid, Stupid! I have to go back to Kaede's to look for it right now!"  
  
Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk. 'Serves her right!' He thought about what she just said, what he heard her say earlier to Sango:  
  
". . . . Maybe it would be easier if I just told him that he was right and that I have chosen to marry Paul. I as much as told him that when I was yelling at him anyway. . . . "  
  
'Hmph!' he snorted to himself, 'She's lying. I know she is. I was there when she came up with this little plan. I'm going to tell her I know that's she's just saying this to avoid me. The human is her excuse, that's all.'  
  
'. . . . But this time she actually said she loves him. She said it twice. Her heart-rate was up like she was nervous again, but she wouldn't lie about something like that. She wouldn't go as far as saying THAT if she didn't mean it, would she?. . . '  
  
Inuyasha was broken out of his reflections by a near-hysterical Kagome. "Inuyasha Please! Please take me back to Kaede's right away! I just have to find it!"  
  
He looked at her, thinking about what he wanted to say, what he wanted to ask her, and underneath, feeling his stomach constrict with nerves at the very thought of it. If this was the truth, he wanted and needed to find out before he said anything else.  
  
"Fine wench! Hang on!"  
  
Kagome climbed on his back and held on tight as Inuyasha took off with her. Behind him, she inhaled deeply, the calming, warm scent of him. She couldn't help but think about that last kiss. Holding him, she remembered what it felt like to be in his arms only moments before tasting him, her heart's deepest longings and desires finally coming true. It was a thousand times better than she ever imagined, and knowing this, she felt a mixture of excitement and sadness. 'I know I'll never have his love. I hope I at least can always have his friendship, I hope when the time comes, I'll be able to accept it this time.'  
  
In front, Inuyasha felt her responses to him and raised an eyebrow, wondering what was making her give off such an odd-mixture of scents and subtle changes in movement. Inside his own chest, there was a tingle of excitement in thinking that maybe it was him she was thinking of now, him and no other. 


	23. The Consequences To Stupidity

  
  
Chapter 23 The Consequences to Stupidity  
  
Author's Note: Drugs are bad.  
  
Back at Kaede's guest hut, Kagome was a cyclone. She charged into the hut just as Miroku and Sango were waking-up with the new day, and grabbing her huge duffle bag, dumped the contents out all over her bedding and the surrounding floor with the accompanying sounds of crashing and clanging. After doing this, she lit her camping lantern, causing the still bleary eyed demon exterminator to look at her friend through squinting, mildly annoyed eyes.  
  
"Ooh Kagome. What are you doing? It's too early," Sango complained.  
  
"It's got to be here," Kagome answered, distractedly. She didn't even look up. When Sango asked a follow-up "What's here?" Kagome ignored her, her mind set only on the task of hunting for her lost ring. Miroku threw some blankets over his head and tried to ignore the assault taking place across the room.  
  
She sacked her belongings, shaking and tossing clothes, medical supplies, and everything else she brought with her. She scrambled along the floor, lifting her layers of blanket, frowning and looking more desperate as each new possibility lead to another dead end.  
  
Inuyasha stood at the doorway and watched her for a few minutes, glaring at her back. It was a good thing Miroku's head was under the covers. The way Kagome's body looked as she crawled around, supple on the floor, she shape of her lovely, perfect buttocks, visible through the thin material of that long shirt she was wearing–Yes, Miroku would have to be hit hard right now if her were watching.  
  
'Stupid wench! She's tearing the room apart looking for that ring. Why? She doesn't really love that man–Paul, does she? What a stupid name Paul. Ha! I bet he's short. Short and wimpy with a really small–"  
  
His thoughts were broken off by the scent of new tears forming in her eyes. Her eyes watered so damn much. He hated it when she cried. Weak human emotions. He turned and left her to her search, running off some distance to get away from her racket and her scent. He needed some time to think.  
  
Almost two hours later Kagome was dressed in jeans and a work-out t-shirt and frantically searching the grounds around the hut on her hands and knees. Shippo was helping her, sniffing everywhere for the ring, enjoying the game as he bounded round trees and into patches of high grass. Miroku, Sango and Kaede sat round the kettle, enjoying a breakfast of salted fish, bread, and hot tea.  
  
"I wish she'd join us," Sango said.  
  
Attempting to gain Sango's favor, Miroku called to her, "Lady Kagome, shall I come help you search?"  
  
Wack!  
  
"Oouch!" He said, rubbing his well-bruised head and looking puzzled at Sango. "But Sango, I thought if I offered to help she would take a break and come eat," he said, and this time he was truly innocent.  
  
"Pervert!" she replied, turning her head away.  
  
Kagome was oblivious to the scene and sounds behind her. She was listening to "My Immortal" by Evanescence on her MP3, trying to concentrate on finding the ring, but her mind kept replaying the sensations of the last kiss with Inuyasha over and over, as if her mind had a will of its own. She had to find Paul's ring. In her heart she knew she was going to give it back to him, and last night she had accepted the finality and inevitability of it. She didn't love him, but she did respect him. He didn't deserve to be treated poorly, and he certainly deserved his ring back.  
  
Kagome knew exactly how much it had cost. He had showed her the Zales receipt. She remembered he was proud of the fact that he bought it on sale and wanted her to be impressed with his shrewd bargaining abilities. Kagome was far-less than impressed by this, she was bored and annoyed, mildly insulted even. Still, he had given it and she had accepted it willingly, sealing an engagement. Now she going to do what was right, she was going to end it the first chance she got to get home.  
  
No matter what happened here or in her own time, she knew Paul was not what she wanted. He needed to find someone to give this ring to that would look at him with all the admiration he deserved. She felt bad enough using him to distance herself from Inuyasha, but at least this wasn't hurting Paul anymore than she already had. The only one she was hurting now really was herself.  
  
'But what about Inuyasha–doesn't lying to someone, even when you think the reasons are noble, always hurt them in some way?' she asked herself. She knew the answer. What Inuyasha wanted from her was a kind of truth that laid her open. He had a way of making her feel so guilty every time she gave him any less than this, it was like he was asking her to always bear her soul, and her soul cried out to answer him. But what did she get back for this honesty? She knew he was always truthful with her, but there were no need for questions. She knew his feelings because she had heard him speak them, and knew they hadn't changed. Knowing how he felt, was it really fair to tell him how she felt. Oh yes, she could see it now, herself on her hands and knees like this, holding the hem of his red coat: 'Inuyasha, please don't leave with Kikyo. Please, choose me instead. I loved you then and I love you now. I will never stop loving you and wanting you. Please, choose me! Choose me!'  
  
Crawling in the grass, she sneered in disgust with herself at that mental picture. "Yes, that's the look, desperate and pitiful. I'm sure that will win him over!" she mumbled.  
  
Shippo bounced over and shouted in her ear loud enough for the entire camp to hear, "Who are you going to win over by looking desperate and pitiful Kagome?"  
  
Kagome blushed at the kitsune's question and laughed as she said. "Nobody little one! No man is worth that, ever!" Shippo gave a small shrug and bounced happily away, back to his task of pretending to help her look for something shiny in the grass.  
  
She was so distracted by the music and her own thoughts that she didn't hear Inuyasha's approach.  
  
Before Kagome looked up she could feel him. He was standing over her, arms crossed, looking down at her. She realized with a start that this scene was almost exactly what she was picturing only seconds before.  
  
'Whatever he wants I will NOT be grabbing onto the hem of his coat!' she thought.  
  
Frowning, she shut off the music and looked up at him about to ask him what he wanted. Before she could voice a word she was pulled by her arms. Standing face to face, he locked her eyes in a staring contest as he stood silently assessing her.  
  
She knew him long enough understand this gesture meant he was engaging her in a battle of will over something, but she baffled as to what. She was tired, her knees hurt from crawling around and she really didn't want to argue with him anymore. The group just watched in surprise as four tense minutes passed. Finally, unable to take his unyielding, unblinking stare longer, Kagome broke.  
  
"Inuyasha what's wrong with you?" she said.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" he mimicked.  
  
"Oh honestly Inuyasha!" she said exasperated. "I don't want to play some kind of game with you now, just tell me what it is and be done with it!"  
  
"That's what I want you to do, wench," he said, and, holding out his hand meaningfully he looked at her and said again "I want you to tell me what it is."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean," he said, raising his voice now. "What's wrong with you? Why did you take THIS last night?" He opened his hand, holding one tiny, white tablet.  
  
His yellow-orange eyes never blinked, never left her face. His look bore into her, questioning, accusing.  
  
Kagome could feel the panic rising in her throat and Inuyasha could smell it as he watched the pulse at the cave of her neck rise and fall in rapid, tiny movements..  
  
All eyes were on the pair, watching Kagome, waiting along with Inuyasha for her answer.  
  
'Stay calm Hirugashi. Hold it together.'  
  
"It's pain medicine," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I had a headache."  
  
He gave a deep, menacing growl and clenched his hands tightly at his side. The sudden change in body language not to mention the growl startled her.  
  
Sango didn't know what was going on, but was concerned by Inuyasha's overly- aggressive behavior too.  
  
"Inuyasha stop it! There's no need to growl at her!" Sango said.  
  
He whirled round on her, his eyes flashing with threat "This doesn't concern you, bitch! Stay out of it!"  
  
Miroku instinctively came closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. "You have no reason to treat Sango this way. I must insist you apologize immediately to her," he said.  
  
But Inuyasha was in no state of mind to indulge the monk. In fact, Miroku couldn't have picked a worse-time to take a stand.  
  
"Are you all fucking deaf!" a red-faced hanyou reeled back round. "This is between Kagome and me and I'm warning you," he said meaningfully, shooting a glance round the clearing, "all of you, to shut up. That means you too fox-brat." The only person he didn't directly threaten was Kaede. Somehow he felt she at least would have the good sense not to get involved now.  
  
Everyone felt miserable and sorry for Kagome. Inuyasha was on some kind of tear, and no one knew why.  
  
Kagome pushed back the rising guilt she was feeling and grabbed hold of the anger she felt for the way he was treated their friends. "Inuyasha, you should thank the fates you don't have the rosary anymore. I'd sit your ass into oblivion for being such an obnoxious jerk!"  
  
He didn't answer, but continued to glare at her, growling some kind of a warning she didn't understand.  
  
"For Gods-sake Inuyasha!" she yelled "What's wrong with you?! Stop looking at me like that and stop growling at me–you're giving me the creeps!"  
  
Inuyasha stood straight and stopped growling, but kept his eyes narrowed and focused on her keenly. "What's wrong with me is you are already braking your promise Kagome. You promised you would never lie to me."  
  
She looked stricken "I haven't lied to you about anything! I don't know what you're talking about!" she said, genuinely confused by his verbal assault. In his tone she heard that underneath the menacing look there was genuine hurt.  
  
"I know," he said in a voice that was both low and harsh, "this is not pain medicine. I saw pain medicine from your time last night, remember." he gave this a moment to sink in and watch her pupils expand with the knowledge he was giving her. "This smells nothing like those small white things in the bottle. I want you to tell me now what this is for, and honor your god-damned promise."  
  
She closed her eyes and wished for an earthquake to swallow her where she stood. This is why he was growling, acting so crazed. She had made a vow to him, and just now she broke it. As small a thing as it was, she knew he felt betrayed. He had her emotionally trapped, and there was no escaping it.  
  
As she thought about it, she knew she had made one of the biggest mistakes of her life in making that promise to him. 'Is it even fair to demand someone to be TOTALLY honest with you, whenever you want them to? I haven't asked this of him–I wouldn't. Why should my every thought, action, and feeling, be exposed to him?!' She thought defensively.  
  
With a calm demeanor, she tilted her chin up to meet his eyes and said in her most clinical voice, "It's a psychotropic medication that was developed for acute pain management in the treatment of oncology. It's an experimental drug developed by Paul's research team."  
  
He looked at her blinking. He could tell that she was not lying, and he could tell by her too-calm manner that she was almost gloating over the fact that technically she wasn't lying to him. He was going to shake the calm out of her if that's what it took to get a real answer.  
  
"If I can't understand a damn word you say then it still counts as a lie," he said, in a voice calm and low, now matching her tone. She felt immediately humiliated again.  
  
Kagome sighed and looking down said, "It's a new drug to help with the pain in dying cancer patients. Paul and some other doctors developed it last year."  
  
He looked at her unable to breathe. He was suddenly ashen, and with his heart constricting in terror, he asked her, "Kagome, are you dying?"  
  
Sango uttered a little gasp and the rest of the group waited, tense for her answer.  
  
Kagome's eyes grew wide with a horror of her own, seeing the undeniable pain on his face. "Oh no! No! I'm fine. I don't have cancer. You asked me what the medicine was for and I told you. I don't have cancer and I'm not dying."  
  
His eyes were like touchstones, changing with mercurial speed. He lashed out, and grabbing her in fury said "Listen you little bitch! I didn't ask you what the fuck the damn thing was for, I asked you why you took it! Stop playing games and tell me now!"  
  
Shocked, her breath caught in her throat. She looked at him and in an angry tone said, "Let go of me and top calling me names or I may not be able to control this protection charm, you big jerk!"  
  
He released his grasp but did not back away. "I'm still waiting Kagome," he said. "Now tell me why you took this."  
  
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "When they did case-studies at the university lab, the drug revealed some unexpected side effects. In addition to pain management, it seems the drug acts as a mild neuro- stimulator. A significant percentage of the test group reported experiences of psychic phenomena and the individuals who claimed to have some natural telepathic abilities described an increase."  
  
He was so angry, he wanted to shake her, hard. He yelled so close to her face that fine spit from his bared fangs flicked on her hot cheeks.  
  
"DAMMIT KAGOME! IF YOU DON'T TELL ME THE TRUTH AND STOP SPEAKING GIBBERISH I'M GOING TO –"  
  
It was Miroku who interrupted. "Lady Kagome, did I understand you correctly that this medicine gives you the ability to read others' minds?" Kagome locked eyes with Miroku across the yard for just an instant before dropping them to the ground and nodding mutely, indicating a "yes."  
  
She knew he was going to be angry, but she just didn't know how angry and she didn't want to find out. 'God!' she thought, swallowing and trying to stop her angry tears from coming, 'Why is this happening! I did it to try to protect him, the big jerk! Now he's accusing me and making me feel like I did something terrible to him when I didn't!'  
  
The look on his face was hard to describe. She had seen him look hurt, angry, but never, ever like this. Only once did he give her a look even close to this. "Almost the way he looked at me when he first woke up on the tree," she thought. "I know this look though. This must be the same look he had on his face when he thought Kikyo betrayed him and shot him."  
  
It was Sango who spoke next, wanting to divert the conversation away from Inuyasha for a couple of reasons. First, he was evidently so angry with her that the scene could become a battlefield at any instant. Second, she had a question of her own now that she wanted answered.  
  
Carefully, she approached the pair as she spoke.  
  
"Kagome, this is what you put in your mouth last night at the springs shortly before you fainted in the water, isn't it?" she asked gently.  
  
Kagome heard Sango but could not make eye-contact with her. Inuyasha was standing in front of her, hackles raised, and was not about to let her move.  
  
"Yes," she called around his body.  
  
"Then is it possible that this pill is the reason you lost consciousness and almost drowned?"  
  
'Shit,' she thought, 'I feel like I'm drowning now, or at least I want to!' She answered Sango in a low voice, "Possibly. I'm not sure."  
  
"Why Kagome? Why did you do this?" Sango said, her tone careful, but terse.  
  
If Sango was hoping to help, this line of questioning wasn't working.  
  
"That's exactly what I want to know," Inuyasha growled, his amber eyes still fixed on her.  
  
Kagome felt as if her back was up against a wall with a small group of predators closing in. Presently, she was standing eye-to-eye with the Alpha male.  
  
'Think Steve Irwin now. Don't show any fear. Look him in the eye. Be calm.. . .' "Look, I had my reasons and I don't feel like discussing them now so–"  
  
"SO NOTHING, BITCH! I want to know now why you took that damn thing!" Inuyasha barked back.  
  
"I needed to try something–an experiment. I was in the water, and I already charged it with energy. Water is a natural conductor, and so I thought if I took the pill in the water and focused my energies it just might be enough to help me make contact."  
  
"You wanted to contact someone through your mind?" Miroku joined in, the interest evident in his voice. "And this medicine enables that?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "Yes, but I don't know exactly how it works. It's compound is based on a mushroom some Native American tribes use to experience visions and enter dream states in religious ceremonies. The drug acts sort of like a booster to a person's senses."  
  
"I don't give a shit about the HOW!" Inuyasha interrupted. "What I want to know is WHO! Who were you trying to talk to without talking last night Kagome?"  
  
Kagome tried to stop her fear, willed it back down, but the Alpha male was closing in, intimidating her. Looking into his eyes, she felt the opposite pulls of strong fear and strong attraction to his power all at once.  
  
'What does it mean, that he can paralyze me like this? Why do I fear him and want him all at the same time? Whatever's going on here, it can't be healthy. Who knows, maybe I'm kinky.'  
  
"ANSWER ME KAGOME!"  
  
But before she could answer, Miroku asked another question, buying her a little time to recover her control.  
  
"But–"Miroku began startled, a blush suddenly rising on his cheeks, "your powers do not NORMALLY include the ability to read minds, do they?" he asked with fearful eyes.  
  
"What?" she asked, shaking her head and blinking to clear away the Inuyasha- induced trance.  
  
"No. I can't. I mean, I don't think so."  
  
Miroku was relieved and turned round to Sango only to find her with fire in her eyes and a raised boomerang hitting him on top of the head.  
  
"WHO?" Inuyasha said. He wanted to hurt her now, hurt her for her distance, her damnable lies, and for her ability to hurt him like this without remorse.  
  
"Tell me Kagome," he said in a cruel, mocking voice, "who was so important that you almost drowned for if I hadn't been there to drag your sorry ass out of the water?. And what about after that? All of us fought to save you and bring you out of that damn dream--Do you remember that? We all went through hell last night to save you TWICE!"  
  
She could only give the slightest nod and bring her downcast eyes up to meet his for only a moment from under their thick veil of black lashes.  
  
He started speaking again before she had a chance to even form a viable thought. His voice was deeper now, somehow more menacing, as if his very words occupied physical space, shoving her, pinning her against an invisible wall.  
  
"If it's not too much of a bother for you, will you lower yourself to tell us, even though you seem to think we don't deserve your honesty, who the hell was worth that much to you that you almost died!!?"  
  
She glanced past him and saw the truth of his sentiment reflected in Sango and Kaede's inability to meet her eyes. Miroku, who was sitting on the ground and rubbing his newest lump, quickly looked away from her too.  
  
Shippo cried out "Kagome? It's not true is it? Kagome would never do anything like that to us! She cares about us and wouldn't hurt us like that, right mother?"  
  
Shippo's words were like a knife to her heart. She chanced a glance back up to Inuyasha's face and found a cold mask of righteous indignation glaring down at her from a pair of crossed arms.  
  
"Shippo, she said, "I'm sorry. Everything Inuyasha just said I did is true." Hot tears left trails on her cheeks as she stood straight and tried her best to just face it now. She had done something truly thoughtless and because of it, she had almost killed herself and put her friends through hell.  
  
She gave a rueful laugh. "I've always been embarrassed when my friends do stupid stunts in my time like drinking and driving. I used to always think I was smarter and better than that. I guess I'm no better after-all, "she said, the tears flowing freely now. "I didn't even think about affecting anyone else when I took the pill, I didn't even stop to think what might happen. I really am so sor–"  
  
"YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T HURT ME ANYMORE! I HATE YOU FOR THIS! I HATE YOU!" Shippo yelled. She felt her heart stabbed again at the little kitsune's words, and watched, horrified, as he ran away into the woods.  
  
"Shippo! She called out, "Please wait! Please I am so sorry! Please let me explain!" She tried to run to him, but got nowhere. Inuyasha's held her against him in an iron grasp, pressing her small body against his so she could barely breathe. She couldn't activate the spell if she wanted to. It could only repel those she didn't want to be near, but right now, the only one she wished she could repell was herself.  
  
"The kitsune will be fine. You will leave him and explain to me," Inuyasha said. He didn't want to be comforting her now, he was still furious at her, enraged. But seeing the pain she was in from the child's words was almost too much for him to bear. He wanted to hold her, to possess all of her, even her pain.  
  
She cried into his chest not caring anymore about her dignity or lack of control, just breathing in the scent of him, wanting to loose herself in it.  
  
He grabbed her face under the chin, forcing her reluctant eyes to meet his demanding ones. "Tell me now who you did this for. Whose head did you want to get into?"  
  
His eyes searched hers and demanded absolute surrender. She felt heavy, completely lost. Even her fear was gone. There was just dull pain.  
  
"Michael, "she said. "I needed to talk to Michael." 


	24. Breakthrough

This chapter is dedicated to Jour Wall—Thanks for your kind comments and words of encouragement. Good luck this semester with your classes!

Authors Notes: Yes, I'm back posting! Since the last chapter, I graduated, took a part time job, and have finished the first three chapters of a vampire romance (yeah me)! Life is busy/good, but I have missed this story and refuse to leave it forever unfinished.

This is a LONG chapter—K & I have a lot to say to each other, so there's not much action, but dialogue. Since I haven't posted in so long and couldn't really find a clean place to break this, I just decided to leave it as it is. Speaking of action. . . I have come to a difficult decision—this is the last chapter I will post on ffnet. Since this is an adult romance with adult content, I'm moving the entire story (including all future chapters) to mediaminer. "Lemons" don't drive this story, and the story is not just a vehicle or frame for sex scenes, but, sex is a natural progression in romantic fiction as it is in a real life romantic relationship. Since this will be more NC17 than R eventually and I don't want to be censored, I'll censor myself first. If I have the time to edit the chapters, I may later repost here, but I don't really see a good reason to do this. The lemons I have read in fanfiction (the really good ones) are not shocking and no more graphic than any good Nora Roberts, Chirsitine Feehan, etc. (Ever wonder why no one cards readers who check out romance novels at the library or purchases them at Barnes and Noble?—let's hope it never comes to that!) Anyway, it is this tradition of romance writers I hope to learn from and emulate in my own writing eventually.

If you have any questions/serious comments about the story, please e-mail me and I'll write you back! I hope you enjoy this chapter and pick it up on the new site. Since this chapter was so long it may be a week or two before the next one.

All my best, BB

* * *

Chapter 24 Breakthrough

There wasn't a sound and time seemed to stop. Feeling like she would drown in the gulf of silence following her admission, Kagome gazed down at the ground, despondent. A sound rushed into her ears, her body, quick and harsh as Inuyasha let out a ragged breath. She realized suddenly he hadn't breathed, hadn't moved since she had answered his question. Drawing in her own shaky breath, she raised her head, wanting, trying to meet his eyes, to somehow find a way forward. Her eyes connected with his, startled by the coldness they conveyed. In one fluid movement, Inuyasha's arms snatched her tight and she let out a sharp gasp. With his forceful jump, she was lifted off the ground with barely enough air to breathe, let alone try to speak. She felt herself flying, carried over deep woods, and back to the clearing by the river's edge. She had the somber thought that this river had come to symbolize much in these last few days with Inuyasha—urgency, fear, renewal, hope, and now, surely, baptism by fire.

As he landed, Inuyasha held her so tightly she felt lightheaded and saw dark spots dancing at the edges of her eyes. Just as she thought she would have to try to draw on the charm's powers or her own to get him to release her, he slackened his pressure on her ribcage slightly.

"_Don't you dare pass out," _he thought. He wanted her awake.

At the water's edge now, he released her, pushing her away.

She felt her knees buckle underneath her and was emotionally and mentally drained by her sense of guilt and loss. She stumbled, but before she fell to the grass he caught her arms and held her up, waiting for her eyes to meet his.

When she looked up at him, the heat of anger that flashed in his eyes when he released her was gone, replaced again by distant control. Looking into pools of gold, the eyes that could ignite so many fires in her soul, she saw past his anger, saw his pain. She didn't think she could feel worse, but she did.

"_Was I wrong to bring her back with me? Can she bear to be separated from him and be here with me?" _These thoughts caused him as much pain as a defeating blow.

"Kagome," he said, looking away from her, "if you miss him that much, if you want to see him, say it. I'll take you back. I'll take you back to him now."

He said it softy, his voice was muted by the pain in his chest.

She had the strongest urge to reach up and touch his cheek with her hand, to stroke his hair.

"_God! I'd give anything to make this better, to not see him so hurt by me!"_

"I didn't–I don't want to go home because I miss Michael. I needed to ask him a question and it couldn't wait. I need to find something out, and I need his help to do it. I'm so sorry, I just acted on instinct, I couldn't wait."

As he listened, he sensed no lie in her scent or heart rate, and his resignation receded and his anger rose.

"What the hell kind of a stupid reason is that for doing what you did Kagome?! If you really just wanted to ask him a question we could have gone to your time and come back in a couple of hours."

"But that's it, Inuyasha-- This **couldn't wait **a couple of hours! I needed Michael to start working on this right away," she said, meeting his angry gaze in desperation to make him understand.

"Why?" he said. "No more games, Kagome. Tell me what was so damn important you almost died for!" He looked at her, his stunning eyes filled with pain and, to her sorrow, an edge of distrust. "Can you explain it, or am I just too stupid, too primitive to understand?"

She took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes in sorrow. She didn't want to tell him, not about this. The suspected dread had been waiting at the edges of her mind for days now, but to voice it aloud, to say it to Inuyasha made it horribly, sickeningly real.

"I–I can't do this," she said, turning away. "I can't say this to you."

A new wave of pain crashed in on Inuyasha. He felt as if her very words could eviscerate him, and he just wanted it done. Clearly she didn't want to hurt him, but by not wanting to, she was hurting him worse.

"Just say it Kagome. I need to hear the words." he said flatly.

She shuddered at his icy tone and gave voice to her dark, formless fear. "I need to know what happens to the demons in my time. I need to find out about your future, what happens to you in my time."

"What?" he said, baffled.

He wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. Whatever he thought he was prepared for, this wasn't it.

She was speaking again, letting out, the worst of her fears. "Why, in the two years that I was apart from you, did I never once meet your future self? I looked for you in my time, I tried to find you so many times. I was going to tell you how sorry I was about the way I left, but I never found you. I couldn't feel you anywhere. Did you--do you move Inuyasha? Did you move with your entire family and every other demon in this time as well? Where did you all go? Did you die Inuyasha?" she asked, tears now slowly trickling down her cheek, "Did you die?"

He was completely awestruck. "Kagome, how the hell can I know where I live or even if I life in 500 years! I can't see into the future."

"Exactly! I can't either, but I live there! As long as demons and half-demons live, what is it, hundreds or is it thousands years–how come I never, ever, once ran into any of you? Why haven't I seen or felt no more than half a dozen demons in modern Japan since I've known of their existence?"

Realization struck him like a physical force. Michael wasn't the reason for what she did, he was.

Stunned, his breath whistled as he pulled it in, trying to gather his thoughts. Even shaken and angry, he still wanted to find a way to calm her and to make her see that there was no reason to fear for him.

_This is what is was all about? Finding out what happened to demons?_

Kagome was ragged with emotional fatigue. Without preamble, Inuyasha moved to close the distance between them and pulled her close. She was so grateful to feel him close to her again, she closed her eyes and just stood still. Holding her, he allowed his emotions, a swirling sea, to calm in her scent.

He thought about how she looked now, how she felt rigid in his arms with the tears he knew she was trying to hold back. She was so vulnerable, so fragile, and yet, so strong. All her fear and worry.

He didn't understand why she was so scared for him. It was true, he realized, that there weren't many demons in Kagome's time. There were these new spirit-things that she and Michael had spoken of, but over the last four years he had felt few demons in her time and seen less.

"_Kagome's so worried. . . What does it mean?"_

As he held her, he felt his own eyes sting and blinked back the unbidden tears as he buried his face in the top of her head, inhaling the fresh, light scent of her hair. He pulled her back only far enough to make her look at him, and to show her he was still angry, a deep, low growl rumbled in his chest before he spoke. "This is the reason you did the most stupid thing I've ever know you to do? You wanted to know what happened to all the demons?! Why couldn't it wait?"

"Because--" she said, looking down at grass.

He put his hand under her chin and lifted it, forcing her eyes meet to his. Kagome took a deep breath and continued.

"Because whatever happened in my time to the demons happens _now_, in this time. I don't know how I know that Inuyasha, but I do. I feel it–this terrible, horrible sense that it's coming. Something bad is going to happen very soon, and I have to know what it is. I don't know if this has anything to do with Naraku, or the nightmares I've been having, but I have to stop it from happening. I won't let anything happen to you, I'll stop it, whatever it takes. I just have to find out as much as I can first." She stopped talking and shuddered involuntarily. She wanted everything to go away, to block out these thoughts she had tried to push away and knew she now had to face.

Inuyasha watched her, and once again the feeling of vertigo and disorientation that he felt with her the first day back at her apartment returned. There were so many feelings and thoughts rushing through him, he clenched and unclenched his fists as he tried to grasp hold of something he could understand. _"How in the hell am I supposed to understand? I don't know what I should do now. . . . I have to find a way to sort this out, all of it." _

He felt some relief that her senseless act was not caused by a desperate desire to be with Michael again, but he had been so scared, holding her, watching her struggle through the dream, holding her as she almost died in his arms.

"_I don't think I'll ever forget what she looked like last night, trapped by that dream demon. . . " _

He didn't want to feel this anger, but he couldn't let go of it, not when the fear of loosing her was still so fresh.

"Kagome," he said, narrowing his eyes and speaking through gritted teeth, "I don't give a damn why in the seven hells you felt you had to do it, it was the stupidest thing you've ever done."

She met his eyes as another tear rolled down her pale cheek. "You're right. It was so wrong, so stupid of me to even try it. I've had those pills for almost a year and forgot about them. I've never done anything like that before and won't again, I promise you."

"Good," he said. Taking the small tablet out from his haori and holding it in front of him. His voice was an iron blade. "You're done with this." He crushed the pill into dust in his fingers, and then allowed the powder to fall to the grass. "Why did you even have those pills?"

She looked down again and blushed. This however was not something she felt she needed to lie about now, not after telling him the truth about the reason she needed to talk to Michael.

"Paul gave them to me on the night that he, that we—"

"On the night the son-of-a-bitch tried to mark you," Inuyasha finished, his voice suddenly chillingly flat.

Kagome barely nodded. "Paul knew that people reported heightened sensations of connecting with others, reading others' minds. He wanted us to try it and bought the pills on this trip we took so we could grow closer."

Inuyasha was growling again, thinking of the many places he wanted to make the man bleed for this.

"I told him no, that I didn't want to try anything like that, and it was stupid. I put the pills away so no one else could find them and I forgot about them until I saw them again in my old swimming things," she said.

"So you didn't want to share your mind with him in that way?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head adamantly. "It was too dangerous and I told him that. And, honestly, I didn't want to be that open to someone else . . . . _"except you,"_ she thought, as she felt her face warm with the thought. She quickly pushed it back and began speaking again, just to stop the direction her mind was taking her in.

"We both felt awkward after that, so he took out a bottle of wine and asked if we couldn't just have a drink and make up. I don't normally drink either, but I had already hurt him, so I said okay."

"And that's when you got drunk and he took advantage of you and put that damn mark on you," he said, a growl now returning to his voice.

She looked at him wide-eyes "Well, it didn't happen exactly like that, but how did you know?" It unnerved her that he could finish her thoughts this way. _"Can he somehow read my mind since I took that pill, or is he just really good at reading me?" _She wanted to defend Paul, to say that he just made a mistake too, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

For a moment, Inuyasha didn't say anything. He was still thinking, trying to figure out what it was he was still missing. He understood that she didn't want to tell him her reasons for taking the drug because she was so afraid something was going to happen to him in the future, and he understood why she wanted Michael's help to find an answer, but he still couldn't piece together why she would do something so reckless.

"You didn't want to take the pills with Paul and knew it was dangerous, but you did it for me?" he asked, his expression and tone a careful neutral.

She looked down, and nodded her assent.

"So would you die for me Kagome?" It wasn't a question, it was an accusation.

"If that's what it took to keep you safe, then yes!" she answered him without hesitation, defiantly. He knew the truth of this beyond her words or scent, he saw its shining conviction in her violet eyes.

A raging blush swept over her face and she felt as if she stood before him now, completely exposed.

He watched her now, a sudden knowledge dawning in him, making his own rate increase to meet hers.

"_What she told Sango about my happiness being all she wanted, and now this. . ."_

He closed his eyes and took one deep breath to steady his nerves before jumping in and risking something he wasn't sure he was ready to risk. "Kagome, you remember the first day I came back to your time you told me many things that were hard for me to understand because I didn't know about how much time had passed for you?"

"Yes," she said, shaking her head in confusion. "But what's--"

He wasn't going to let her interrupt. "You told me, you said—you said me you loved me before you left. Did you mean it?" He locked his eyes with hers and spoke slowly, daring her to deny the admission.

Nervous and feeling cornered, Kagome's hands tremble. Determined not to be weak now, she forced down her panic.

She hoped she appeared cool as she raised her chin and met his eyes. Her voice was, she hoped detached, haughty even as she answered him, but Inuyasha was listening more to her heart rate than tone of voice.

"Yes, I meant it."

As she said this, glancing away now, a slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "But what I said about before I left isn't important now so—"

He cut off her voice by bringing his lips down to hers in a crushing kiss. Holding the back of her head and burying his fingers in the silk of her hair, he held her, kissing her as he had longed to kiss her for days, allowing all his feelings for her to be freed in that kiss. As his fangs grazed her bottom lip she couldn't stop her arms from coming round his neck. Instinctually, his tongue played along bow of her top tip, tasting sweetness, causing her to moan, lean into him and open her mouth further. The lips that had been so hard, so set against her only minutes before were now soft, a luscious offering and fervent taking. His tongue plunged into her mouth and met hers, a quick hot dance.

He tightened his hold on her as he felt his body respond to her mounting scent, to her quickening pulse. He felt himself thicken in need for her and, the knowledge of her own response to him was an excitement pulling him quickly to the edge of a high cliff. Kagome was there, his reason and desire to jump.

As his tongue sucked her own and fangs played little teasing games with the corners of mouth she felt a gathering heat low in her body. He took in her breath and her emotions swirled in her mind in the heavy steam of her passion and sense of awe. This was Inuyasha, holding her, kissing her senseless. She felt the wonder of him, so hard and soft, forceful yet tender. Her body consented, arched and reached for promise of him as her mind interjected--

"_I can't do this. I can't have this with him. This isn't real, not for him!"_

Uttering a soft moan, she pushed back, broke the kiss, causing his fang to draw blood across her lip as she forced herself away.

"Inuyasha stop!"

He looked at her and growled in aggravation.

"I can't do this with you!" she cried, her voice still weak from the kiss. "I'm sorry! I know I'm confusing you, but I can't do this, it's wrong!" she said, bracing herself and trying to think past the haze of fire in her body and his taste on her lips.

"Why?! Why is it wrong for us Kagome?" he demanded.

"Because! I, I, don't want this with you," she said quickly, her voice higher than usual.

For a moment, his ears flattened as he listened to her words. He felt the stab of rejection cut a fresh opening in an old scar. _"If I just accept this, I won't know how she feels about me. If she doesn't want me because of what I am, I need to know." _He pushed down the fear and took another risk.

"Kagome," he said, keeping his tone mild, "I can smell when you're excited. You can deny you want me with your words, but not your scent."

As a tidal wave of embarrassment poured over her with his admission, she let out a horrified gasp. Struggling for some kind of control as Inuyasha struggled not hold in a small, self-satisfied smile at her reaction, she retorted with cool reason straight from the pages of mammalian zoology.

"Listen idiot! I may not be able to control my scent when my body is physically. . .

is physically—"

"Aroused?" he supplied helpfully, beginning to enjoy this.

"Yes!" she hissed, "But that doesn't mean it's what I WANT. It's just human biology, an instinct."

"So that's all that was, just an instinct?"

"Yes! Simply an instinctual response." she declared adamantly.

"Okay," he said openly smirking now and closing the distance between them in two strides, "If that's all it was, tell me how many times you've had that kind of 'simply instinctual' response," he demanded, bringing his face within an inch of hers.

Kagome gasped in indignation. "I don't have to answer that Inuyasha! It's none of you're business how many times!"

"Ha! You're afraid to answer!" he said.

"I am NOT!" she denied.

The too-knowing, smug smile he gave angered her and for some reason, frightened her.

"Look, even if I've never felt that way before it doesn't matter. I'm engaged to be married and the only person I WANT to feel that with is the person I want to marry!"

Kagome felt her heart rush through her ears and felt a rush of guilt. She didn't feel good about it, but she would conceal a truth that hit too close with verbal subterfuge.

She looked up, startled to feel his grasp on her arms again and his eyes baring down on her intently. Any trace of a smile was gone now, the look in his eyes almost fierce. Kagome closed her eyes, knowing that her words and actions had caused him more pain.

"Inuyasha—" she began a desperate apology.

He grabbed her hand and forced her palm open, cutting off her words with the shock. She felt something sharp push into her hand and looked down.

She looked down and gasped. "Paul's ring! Oh, where did you find it?"

"At the bottom of the springs," he said. He didn't tell her that it took him five dives to find the damn thing.

Kagome smiled in relief and gratitude, happy not only because she had the ring back, but also because this must mean that Inuyasha accepted what she told him.

"I can't believe you did this! Thank you!" she said. She held the ring in her hand and looked at him, her smile quickly fading as she took in the dangerous look in his eyes.

"Go ahead, Kagome, put it back on," he said, watching her keenly.

"No, it's loose," she said, nervously. " I don't want to lose it again. I'll just put in my pocket," she said, unzipping one of her side-pockets on her walking shorts. She averted her eyes from his, and fidgeted with putting the ring in the pocket and zipping it up. When she was done, he grabbed her round the waist again, surprising her.

A growl he couldn't suppress was voiced under his words. "Tell me again Kagome. Tell me that you love that human," he commanded, his eyes holding hers in a challenge.

Kagome felt his hot breath on her cheek, felt herself begin to shake again.

"Say it!" he demanded.

"Stop it, Inuyasha! I don't have to! You better let go of me. I can't control this charm if I'm scared!" she threatened.

"Kagome," he said her name in three, slow, deliberate syllables as his eyes narrowed. That charm works if you're scared of demons. It can't do a damn thing to help you if scared of yourself."

She met his face, her eyes blazing as she took in quick panting breaths. She was completely trapped and she wanted him to stop pushing her, punishing her with his relentless demands for total disclosure.

"Your heart beats faster when you lie," he told her simply.

"WHAT?!" She struggled in desperate embarrassment as she tried to break free from him learning this.

Inuyasha's patience was gone. One way or another, every secret between them needed to be gone. He needed the truth now, all of it. "Stop it Kagome!" he said, carefully tightening his hold. "Hold still and listen. I know every time you're lying and hiding something just like I know by your scent when you're excited. I'm tired of lies and games Kagome, and now I want the truth from you. Just tell me you love him and say it so I know you're not lying."

"Inuyasha you have no right to force this! I don't owe you this!" As she said it, she heard him growl and realized that once again, her heart rate had increased. She couldn't even lie to him to save herself.

She looked down, and sighed in defeat. She realized he was right. He was owed any truth he asked of her. After all they had been through together, after her promise to him to give him the truth, to give him less would dishonor their friendship and him.

"Inuyasha, please!" she begged.

"Say it."

"Look at me and you say it now,"

She brought her eyes back to his, silently pleading for escape.

"Say it," he commanded in a low, gruff voice.

"I," she began, faltering, She closed her eyes and willed the words to come. "I can't," she whispered.

"You don't love him," he made it a statement, even though it was still a question he needed her to answer.

"No." she said as a tear escaped her eye.

He let out his breath and felt a measure of relief he didn't expect. He held her gently now, hugging him. "Ssh. It's all right now Kagome. Thank you for telling me the truth."

Gentled by his tone, she felt her own relief at the finality of this admission. She looked up into his beautiful eyes, his beautiful face and felt his lips touch hers again. It wasn't a kiss of heat and passion, but of tenderness and gentle comfort. She sighed as she accepted and returned his embrace and his kiss.

Inuyasha slowly broke away, touching his forehead to hers. _"Okay, that takes care of the human garbage. Now I just have to get us past the rest of it," _he thought.

"Kagome," he began, "There's something I need to confess to you as well, and you're not going to like it" He paused, waiting for her reaction.

Her eyes widened in curiosity, but she didn't pull away.

"I know how and why that human scum marked you because I was at the hot springs last night too."

She let out a sharp breath, but he continued without pause. " I was there, but not to spy or try to hear stuff. I knew you didn't want me to be near you after our fight about that damn mark back at camp, but I still had to protect you. If something attacked you two while you were unaware, you might not have been able fight it off or even repel it with the charm in time."

Kagome's face changed as her jaw muscles tightened and a new wave of high-color rose in her cheeks. "You're right Inuyasha! I don't like it! I don't care what your reasons were, you shouldn't have been there listening! That was a private conversation! Oh, I swear, you can be such a big jerk!"

Kagome was stunned by his confession and was thinking about the full implications of it. He had heard EVERYTHING, knew exactly what had happened to her during their two years apart, even her heart's desires.

"_God! I'm not ready for this. This isn't good for either of us. I have to find a way to put distance, I just can't let him in any closer. . . ."_

Her grim thoughts were interrupted by a sound emerging from Inuyasha's throat–one that sounded suspiciously like a repressed laugh.

"Inuyasha! Are you laughing at me?! It's not funny!" She said, pushing him back with her hands and trying to walk away. His arms quickly encircled her waist, pulling her close again. Involuntarily, she felt herself respond to his command to stay, even though a part of her wanted to slap him.

"You have a right to be angry," he whispered in a husky tone in her ear, "but that doesn't change anything. I still heard everything you said last night Kagome. I heard it all. When you said my happiness mattered most to you, I know you meant that and I don't think I can tell you how knowing that makes me feel."

She felt her color rising again, and felt a new wave of panic set in.

"Not all secrets are wrong to keep, Inuyasha! Sometimes knowledge can cause pain and make things more difficult. Knowing what I told Sango and what I feel changes nothing!"

He stepped back and felt himself drowning in depths of her eyes. "Knowing what happened to you while I was gone changes everything," he replied, feeling his chest constrict. "I understand now what you've been through, and I know why you are tied to Michael."

"Inuyasha," she said, fresh tears starting to glisten in her eyes, "I don't know what to tell you about Michael. He–"

"You don't need to say anything else. I may not like the damn ghost, but I understand. If he hadn't have been there when you were hurt, I wouldn't be holding you now. I understand that and I accept it."

"You–you accept it?" Kagome's eyes were wide with surprise. She didn't even know what she meant by voicing the question, or how she felt about anything right now. Her own feelings didn't make sense to her. It was as if her rational, thinking mind was shutting down, leaving her stranded in a foreign country where she didn't speak the language. A jumble of her own feelings washed over her, feelings she couldn't translate or put into neat metal compartments.

"I understand you better now, Kagome," he continued. "I know why you couldn't simply choose between us. I wish you would have told me what happened yourself, but I understand that too. It's hard to speak of, isn't it?"

She looked up at him as she struggled against it to find her mind and her ability to speak. "Yes," she finally said, nodding. "I guess talking to Sango was easier. I think I needed to tell a woman," she said.

"Because you never told your mother," he added.

She bristled momentarily, still getting used to the fact that he knew so many personal details of her life. But she could hear and feel the sympathy in his voice, and knew he finally understood her. Feeling this, she couldn't hold onto her anger. She allowed herself to feel what she so desperately wanted to feel but kept pushing back–comfort from Inuyasha. Kagome closed her eyes and, taking a slow, deep breath, allowed her final barrier to him to drop. It had been nothing more than a rice paper wall she was struggling to hide behind anyway. "Yes," she admitted.

He held her for long moments in silence, stroking his hands over her soft hair and taking her very aura, her soul within the surrounding embrace of his own. When he looked at her again, she sensed nervousness in him she didn't understand now.

"Kagome," he began and stopped. She wasn't sure if she could take anything else today.

"Knowing how you feel changes other things. It can, I mean, if you want it to," he added hesitantly.

She looked at him in wary confusion. "What do you mean Inuyasha?"

"You've given me truth today even if I had to shake it out of you," he said, and his comment provoked a grudging smile from her just as he hoped it would. "Now I want to give truth back to you."

"Uhm, Inuyasha, look, we've already been gone a long time so maybe this could wait awhile, we really need to--"

"Damn it wench! Can you stop looking for a hole to jump into and let me say this?!"

Abashed by his outburst, she nodded.

"I know--" he said, and stopped, mumbling a curse under his breath as he paced a tight circle beside her.

"_Why the hell is this so hard all of a sudden?"_

"I KNOW," he began again, his voice louder than he meant. He saw Kagome wince, and realizing he just yelled into her ear, he stopped himself and took a breath and lowered his voice to the point it was almost a whisper as he rushed forwards-

"IknowSangotoldyouthatIwantyoutobemymate!" An unwanted blush tinted his own cheeks as he was angry for feeling embarrassed.

"_Hmmph! there's no shame in it.. I know what I want and I think I've made it damn clear to everyone. Even dense Kagome can't be surprised by this after that kiss, and I know what her scent meant when I was kissing her so. . . "_

His thoughts were interrupted by her soft voice. "Yes, Inuyasha, Sango explained it, but what I think is that you're confused. It's not me you want at all, its–"

"Don't say it Kagome. I want you to stop and listen to me this time," he said, making it clear he intended to not let her respond until he was done with this now.

"Something happened to me that I didn't expect—I mean, I didn't think it did at first, or it would, or maybe even that it could, but it did anyway and even though I didn't think I would want it, it happened, and now I do and couldn't stop if I wanted to anyway, and I don't."

He looked at Kagome and saw, to his chagrin, not a look of dawning realization on her face, but absolute confusion.

Aggravated, he closed his eyes and shook his head, causing gossamer strands of his hair to fall across his face. He took a steadying breath and began again. "Something happened to me and it's because of you," he said, looking into her eyes.

Kagome furrowed her brow as a strong wave of fear in her scent hit him and he took in her wide eyes. She didn't try to speak, but waited in clutched fear to hear some horrible news. The look on her face struck him as funny, but his inner voice warned him that now would not be a great time to laugh at her. Instead, he smiled, hoping to make some of the tension leave her face.

"I love you said," awed by the immediate feel of the rightness and surprising ease of finally speaking it aloud to her.

Kagome looked at him and blinked. She saw his mouth moving and part of her mind registered his words, but another part disengaged. She was spinning, out of control. Hearing the words for him she had dreamed of hearing, had wanted to hear for years, was surreal.

"_Dreaming. I'm dreaming. A lucid dream. It's the drug. I knew this could happen, but it's the most bizarre sensation, everything is so vivid, so lifelike. . . I've dreamed of him saying those words to me, but I've never seen him look at me like that before, so open, so vulnerable. . . "_

She focused her eyes on his mouth, _"Am I going to start seeing whirling colors? A groovy, psychodelic fantasy featuring Inuyasha? That wouldn't be so bad. . . I hope nothing gross comes out of his mouth like some bug or something. His mouth is so perfect, so beautiful, and that would totally ruin the effect. . . . "_

He watched her, first feeling relief, then mounting nervousness at her blankness and now aggravation.

"_She doesn't seem happy, angry, or anything. Damn, it's like she's in a trance!"_

"Kagome! Are you awake? Did you hear what I just said to you?"

She didn't respond, was still wide-eyed and watching his lips move. A dazed smile curled her lips as she spoke: "White."

"_How is his breath always so sweet and his teeth so white and perfect when he never brushes? It must be another magical thing, like the way his haori repairs itself and stays clean. . . ."_

Inuyasha sighed, realizing that wherever she was, it wasn't here. "Goddamn it woman! Snap out of it! Look at me, wench! I'm trying to tell you something important!" He shook her lightly and her eyes cleared. She looked up at him, dazed.

"Inuyasha?"

"It's about damn time! Where did your mind go, I've been trying to talk to you!"

She shook her head and slowly the fuzziness cleared from her eyes and ears. "Sorry Inuyasha. I think I was having some sort of a dream. I think I'm going to be experiencing after-effects from that pill for a few weeks."

"After effects? What does that mean?"

Kagome sighed. "It means the parts of my mind I opened up last night when I took the pill and used my powers can't just close back up. The drug is still in my system and I may have some strange dreams and zone-out sometimes until it completely wears off."

Inuyasha didn't like the sound of this. Kagome 'zoning-out' could be dangerous for her. If she was going into battle with him and the others, she needed to have her wits about her.

"Isn't there anything you can do to fight it?"

"I'll try harder not to let my mind slip. I don't want to get trapped in a flashback of the dream."

"Flashback?" he voiced the word as a question.

"Yes, like re-living part of the dream again. Drug-induced flashbacks can be just as powerful as the first hallucination."

He gave a deep sigh and grabbed her hand to feel her warmth. He couldn't think of anything to do but be extra-careful to watch her for the next few weeks until she was sure she was past the effects. Maybe Kaede had some herb that could help clear her mind from these dreams too.

"Are you with me now, or are you dreaming again?" He asked half-serious.

"Well," she smiled, "I think I've checked out of the Hotel California." He didn't know what she meant, but he seemed reassured to see her eyes focusing.

"Good," he said. "Now I'm going to tell you something again and this time, I want to know you are listening, okay?"

She nodded, letting him know that he had her full, awake attention.

"I love you Kagome" he said, calmer this time than the first. "I think I've loved you from almost the start, but I just didn't know it or want to admit it. Now I do, and I want you to be with me forever, I want you to be my mate."

"_Hmm, never would have thought of a fang as a beautiful thing, but ooh, just look at it. It's so perfect, SO white. What a sexy, little fang. This is so real. I bet I could reach up and touch . . . "_ She reached up, and slowly, with her index finger extended-- "Beautiful," she said.

Inuyasha smirked, feeling a little bemused but more exasperated. "Kagome, what the hell are you DOING?!"

She looked up at him, blinked, and saw her hand hovering right in front of his mouth. She gasped in embarrassment and quickly brought her hand down. "NOTHING!" she answered quickly as a furious blush rose to her cheeks. "Sorry, I um. . .I think it just happened again, the zoning-out thing."

He gave a deep sigh, and looked slightly annoyed, although the thought that she found his fang "beautiful," did give him inward pleasure.

"Okay," he said, holding her firmly by the shoulders and looking her square in the eyes. "I'm going to say this quick, so you don't go to sleep before I finish: Kagome I am asking you to be my mate. I love you. I love you, Kagome. I want to you to be my mate for life, my life-mate, understand?"

She stared at him. _"O My GOD! This is REAL."_ As the thought dawned on her, some part of her also realized that the daydreams were her mind's way of coping. She heard him say he loved her three times, but just like when Shippo was in danger, her mind hadn't wanted to accept it. Her eyes widened and she looked at him in sheer panic.

"Kagome? What is it? What's wrong? . . . . Damn it wench, did you hear what I just said?"

Her heart beat in pure fear. Though hearing these words from him was like the sweetest wine and she wanted to drink forever, A part of her recoiled in fear, seeking protection.

"_I can't so this—I can't let him hurt me again. I know he wouldn't mean to, but if I listen to him, he could. I can't become that girl I was when I left. I don't know if I could survive that kind of pain again. I have to find reason and stay calm. Think Higurashi Kagome, think like a scientist and find a way to solve this problem! Find a way to make him stop!" _her mind commanded her.

"Inuyasha," she said, deliberately imagining herself in a white lab coat and adjusting a pair of spectacles over her eyes, "This is what I was talking to you about earlier. It's called transference. You don't love me, you love Kikyo. It's Kikyo you want to be with not me. Your feeling this way because–"

"Because," he quickly interrupted, "I love you. I love Kagome, not Kikyo. I heard you last night, I know what you think, and you're wrong. Everything would be a hell of a lot simpler if you were right, but you're not."

"Inuyasha, listen, I don't think you know what you're feeling right now, so let's just stop talking about this and–"

"Don't you DARE tell me that! I'm not stupid Kagome!" he said, raising his voice and dropping his hands to his sides, fisting them so to draw blood from his own claws.

"I know how the hell I feel because I've been feeling it for two fucking years now! A little at a time, it's been growing stronger, and when I thought I lost you. . . ." He stopped, closed his eyes and started again. "Thinking that I might not ever get that well to work and see you again damn near killed me!

She stared at him dumbfounded. _"My leaving hurt him? but after what he said, what I heard, how can this be true?. . .."_

Before she could ask him anything, he began speaking again—

"I didn't want to fall in love with you, but I did. I pushed you back, yelled at you, tried to hate you first for shattering the jewel and the damn rosary, and then for anything else I could think of. I called you names like 'weak' or 'stupid girl' to try to get myself to hate you, but it never worked! You were too brave, too giving, too forgiving, and too loving to hate. The only thing I could hate was that you had a life of your own on the other side of the well and I knew you'd leave me."

"Inuyasha, I--I never knew you had any feelings for me," she said in numb amazement. Then, frowning, she added, "You wanted to _HATE _me?" she asked, a note of real hurt creeping into her voice.

"Kagome, will you just shut-up and let me finish please?"

He ignored the flash of annoyance in her eyes, waited to make sure she would remain quiet, and then quickly continued, "When Kikyo was brought back to life, I was already having these uncomfortable feelings about you, so I tried to move all the feelings back to her, but it didn't work. I loved her once, at least I think so, but it was nothing, not even close, to how I feel about you. But you were leaving, you were always going to leave and I knew it. I also owe Kikyo. She died and I lived, and it never should have happened that way. If Naraku hadn't tricked us fifty years ago, we probably would have had a life together, and for awhile, I was furious that I lost that chance. I would have used the jewel to become human for her, but it wouldn't have been ME. She always wanted me to change for her, to change who I was for her, to be like her, and now even to die for her. You've never asked me to change or to choose."

He stopped and looked at her, his eyes holding hers intently. Not sure he really wanted an answer, she carefully shook her head. "No Inuyasha. I don't ever want you to change who you are." There was so much more she wanted to say about who he was, how his strength came from the blending of his natures and how perfect she thought he was, but she couldn't.

Looking at her eyes mist with tears for him, he nodded briskly at her acknowledgement, and spoke again. "Kagome, I hate Naraku for what he took from Kikyo and me, but if that wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't have met you. I could have tried to love Kikyo before I met you, but I couldn't after knowing you, knowing what it's like to be with you and what it's like to not be with you."

"You really think you love me?" she asked, still incredulous, a desperate part of her hoping, but another part not willing to believe it could be true.

"No Kagome, I don't think it. I FEEL it. That's how I know. Your whole problem is you think too damn much. Look, I know a lot more time passed for you. You were right, you've changed in many ways. You were always hot, but gods! It's not just your appearance, it's you. I loved you before you left, tried to push it away and I think I could have waited, but knowing you now, being with you again after being without you, damn it Kagome, I just can't hold it in any longer! I want you! I want you to be mine."

Kagome felt as if the ground were spinning beneath her as she heard his voice grow horse and ragged with emotion. Nothing, nothing, could have prepared her for Inuyasha's declaration, for the intensity of his spoken feelings.

Kagome blushed as she thought about everything he had just said. She felt like she was breathing air that was too thin, she was getting dizzy again. "Just when did you learn to say 'hot?'" she managed to ask.

He ignored her and went on: " I just didn't let myself know it until Chloe asked me. Once I told her, I knew I couldn't deny it, not from myself and not from you."

"WHAT? You told Chloe that you LOVE me?!"

"Well, yeah. She asked me. She was really pissed about you're arm."

"My arm?"

"You remember, when I hurt your arm?"

A look of recognition crossed her face.

"She was really pissed, started threatening me, and all kinds of stupid stuff. For a small bitch, she's pretty tough."

"Chloe is not a bitch, Inuyasha." Even though she was used to hearing herself referred to in that way, it still bothered her that he would use that word with someone she cared about.

He shrugged. "I meant it as a compliment. She is small, but she' strong. She lets men hurt her because she doesn't believe it, but she cares about you doesn't want to see you get hurt like she's been. That's why she asked."

Kagome remembered when Chloe asked to talk to Inuyasha alone. Hearing his story now, a fresh wave of love and gratitude swept over Kagome as she thought about her feisty friend. Kagome smiled, imagining Chloe's petite figure cornering Inuyasha. "_She lets Brad get away with beating her shitless, but when she thinks I've been threatened she's willing to go to the mat with a half-demon for me!" _she thought, feeling fresh tears coming to her eyes. "So Chloe really asked you that, if you loved me?"

"Yes, the nosey little bi–, wench did. I was surprised that she got in my face like she did, but when she did it, I couldn't even think of anything to say but the truth. That was the first time I said it aloud and it wasn't easy to admit. I think she knew that."

Kagome didn't answer, she just looked at him, stunned beyond belief at what she was hearing.

He hoped her silence wasn't a bad sign of how she was taking this and started talking again, nervously. "So once I said it, it became a real thought, something I knew for sure. It's real Kagome and it's not going away. I know what I feel, and damn it, I know what I want. It's you."

He looked at her, willing her eyes to meet his, but they wouldn't. She looked off, toward the river, her face looked sad. He could feel his heart beginning to sink_. "Shit, she wasn't supposed to look this way,"_ he thought.

"Inuyasha, thank you." she said, walking away from him and staring across the water, stunning him.

"Thank you Inuyasha? Thank you? What the hell does that mean?!" he bellowed behind her.

"Just what it sounds like. Thank you for the lovely words."

"_Oh, I'll give her some lovely words. What the hell is she about now?"_ Underneath his anger was a fear he didn't want to voice. _"What if this doesn't make her happy? If she really doesn't want me?"_

"I just told you I love you and you act like I gave you some sort of fuckin' present! This isn't a bar of chocolate, it's my life, your life I'm trying to talk to you about!"

Kagome whirled round to face him. "Maybe it really would be better not to talk about this anymore then!" she said, stunning him.

"Why are you saying this Kagome? Why are you so angry about this?"

"I'm NOT angry Inuyasha! I'm just, I can't, Oh hell! This really complicates things! I don't want you to feel this way."

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "Sorry to inconvenience you Kagome. I do feel this way, and like I said, it's not going away. I can't make it. Can you?"

She sucked in her breath and deliberately, carefully avoided answering his question. "Two years ago--no make that four and a half WEEKS ago on this side of the well, I saw you, heard you, pledge your life to Kikyo. Can you make THAT go away?"

He expected her to bring this up, knew it had to be dealt with, but hoped it wouldn't be so soon. "No," he answered shaking his head. "I can't take back what I said. I told you, I owe her.

"I KNOW Inuyasha! How could you think I don't know that? I really, really get it, got it, years ago. I know you too, and I know you wouldn't make a promise like that unless you were going to keep it."

"Yes, I meant it when I said it, I can't deny that. There were reasons Kagome," he added looking away from her and across the water as well. "I had to promise her that."

"I know Inuyasha. I know and I accepted it, so even if you have feelings for me, what difference can it make?"

"Haven't you been listening to me?" he said, a sharp edge to his voice.

"Of course I have, but it changes nothing," she said softly, "so thank you again for the thought, but I think we should get back now." She turned to walk past him.

"It changes everything! He yelled to her back. "I was willing to die when I thought I wouldn't have much to live for after it was all over. I knew you would leave and I had to do what I could to protect you!"

She turned round, astonished. "Wait just one second. Are you trying to tell me that you promised to go to hell with her for MY SAKE?"

"Yes."

Kagome sat down on the grass, stunned. "How--" she asked quietly. "How could your dying to be with her protect me?"

He walked over and knelt down beside her, leaning in to her face. "Because if I went to hell with her she would have to give you back the part of your soul she took from you."

"She told you she would give me back that part of my soul if you died for her?" she asked, the shock of this knowledge made her voice a breathy whisper.

He gave a bare nod. "I made her promise it. Kaede and Miroku thought she would have to surrender it anyway because your soul is pure, but I made her promise."

His golden eyes looked so solemn, she couldn't stop herself from reaching up and touching his face. As her cool fingertips softly touched his cheek, he closed his eyes. "I didn't want you to leave until I gave you everything I could," he said.

Kagome felt her heart constrict with the knowledge that his decision wasn't about loving Kikyo, it was about protecting her, protecting her to the very end.

"_If I had known what he did and why. . . .Oh God! All this time. I just didn't know."_

"Inuyasha," she said, tears falling from her eyes as she took his hand in hers and held it. "You don't need to make any promises for me. I have a whole soul and even if I didn't, what I have, what you gave me, it would be enough."

His eyes flashed and he cocked his head. "What do you mean, your soul is whole?"

"It was made whole again when Michael brought me back."

It was Inuyasha's turn to be stunned. "What? How is that possible?"

"After I healed and began my training, I told Michael that Kikyo had taken part of my soul. I thought it might be important for him to know this since he was training me as a spirit fighter," she explained. "Michael told me that when he saved me, brought me back to life, he gave a part of his spirit to me."

Inuyasha's eyes widened and darted across her face as the color drained from his own. He bit his tongue to hold back his response.

"_He—He—FUCKINGDAMNITTOHELL!" _The thought that some part of Michael, ANY part of Michael had anything to do with Kagome was killing him, even as he struggled to not let her see how this news bothered him.

"_The strange color of her eyes sometimes, just like his. . . This must be why it happens. How could the soul of another become part of her own? Does this connect her to him in some other way?" _He didn't know exactly what this meant to him or for her, but he knew it couldn't be good. A deep, cold dread crept over his mind, chilling him in the afternoon sun.

When she saw his face was almost the color of his hair, Kagome cried out, "Inuyasha what's wrong?"

"Why did he do it, why did Michael give you a part of his soul?"

"He said he had to, that it was the only way to bring me fully back to life. Inuyasha, does this upset you?"

"_How can I answer her?" Does it UPSET me? HELL YES! Am I angry about it? . . . " _He closed his eyes and found the words for his response, knowing nothing he could say would be enough for either of them.

Shaking his head, he looked at her "HE upsets me Kagome, but if what he did is the reason you're here, how can I not accept it?"

Kagome let out a relieved breath. "Okay," she said, not entirely convinced,

"Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"What you told me about your reasons for going with Kikyo, I don't want you to die for me." She said, trying to sound calmer than she felt.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on it anymore. I don't want to die for you. I want to live with you. Do you think I would have asked you to be my mate if I still planned on leaving with Kikyo?"

"No," she replied, secretly rejoicing at his words, "but I know you just won't walk away from her or your promise either."

"No, I won't, but I was hoping you could help me find a way to help her."

"Me?" she said, quickly catching his eyes and dropping his hand, "How could I possibly help with Kikyo?" she asked, incredulous.

"By helping me find a way to bring her peace. I know the only thing she exists for now is hate and revenge. Kagome, it kills me to know that's all that drives her now and what keeps her eating the souls of others to stay on the earth for. It's a shitty existence. She doesn't deserve it. But if I were to die and go to hell with her right now, I couldn't help her. I can't offer her love, only my life. If I keep my promise and I go to hell with her, I'll resent her for it as much as she resents me. Hate breeds only more hate. You taught me that. Kikyo needs to find a way to let go. I have to help her. Kagome, you are so full of love, I know if there is a way, you could help me find it.

Kagome wanted to laugh out loud, a bitter, ironic laugh. The only person she could even come close hating besides Naraku Inuyasha was asking her to help. She sighed. "Inuyasha," she said, "If there is truly a way I can help Kikyo, then yes, I will, but I don't think there's anything I can do or say to help."

Inuyasha looked down and took her hand in his again. "Maybe not, but even if you can't, it doesn't change how I feel or what I want," he said, stroking his thumb across her palm. "I lost two years with you already Kagome. When you told me what you feel for me—"

"Felt."

"What?" he asked, his eyes narrowing, assessing her.

"I told you what I _felt_, past tense," she said tersely, looking away.

Inuyasha stood and paced away from her in a tight circle, arms folded across his chest.

"_Okay, so she's not ready to admit yet, but after everything else she said and did, I'm pretty sure I know how she feels. . . it doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with her now!" _A slow grin appeared on his face as he circled back round to her.

"Kagome, your heart's beating fast again." His voice was a smug whisper.

Kagome felt heat rise on her neck and deliberately changed the subject. "I'm hungry," she complained, and, as if on cue, her stomach rumbled and he smirked.

"Hmph! You wouldn't be hungry if you ate any real food."

"Don't start on my food. I don't want to fight anymore, so let's go back with the others before it gets too late to do anything today, okay?"

"Fine, wench, run away and avoid the truth, you've gotten really good at doing that."

Kagome felt her temper rise as she watched him, standing above her, calmly adjusting the hilt of his sword. His words cut her. His cool demeanor infuriated her. She bit the inside of her cheek and ground out a response through clenched teeth. "Inuyasha, are you still angry with me about the pill?"

He had meant the taunt to provoke her, hoped she might even give in and say the words, but was taken aback by the distance that he sensed growing between them again.

"_It feels as if she's deliberately throwing up a wall to keep me back again. . . .Why is she doing this? I couldn't be wrong about her feelings, could I? Oh, to hell with this! I'll find a way to get her to tell me the truth now, I have to know._

"Hell yes, I'm angry! I probably will be for a long while, but that's not the problem now and you know it."

"I know it?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, you do. We both know you're being a coward again," he said, plopping down in a rush in the grass beside her, not looking at her.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"I heard you all right, but that doesn't mean I understand idiot. What are you talking about? She said, facing him with the blast of her rising temper.

"_That's it Kagome, take the bait," _he thought. She watched him, and noticed the wide smirk that spread across his mouth. He didn't even try to hide it.

"WHY am I a coward?!" she asked shrilly.

"Oh, I'm sure you know. Go ahead and tell me, it won't be so bad."

"Tell you WHAT exactly?"

"How you feel about me."

"What?"

"Quit saying 'what', it makes you sound stupid."

"Inuyasha, I swear, you are such an impossible, aggravating,--"

"You're the one who made it clear that you only told me before how you FELT, so now you should tell me how you FEEL, present tense."

She was infuriated! Worst of all, worse even than his smug, all-knowing taunt, was the realization that he was right. She was being a coward, but she couldn't, wouldn't take that step. It was just too much of herself to give him.

"_After all he's said today, after I've learned, don't I owe him an answer? Am I ready to tell him? Do I even want to? If I take this risk, will he break my heart again?. . . _Even as she had this thought, another part of her mind answered for her: _"He didn't break your heart at all. You did that all by yourself."_

"Inuyasha, I can't tell you because I don't know. We've been apart for over two years and only back together for a few days. I came back with you because you reminded me I still had a job to do, a job that has to come first, before I think of anything else, and so I don't even have time to think about it, do I?"

She said this expecting to hurt him, to push him back and make him drop it, or even to start another fight. It wasn't that she deliberately wanted to provoke him, she just felt too vulnerable to give him the words and she didn't know if she could ever let her guard down enough to tell him the truth.

His quiet response didn't lessen her resolve to keep any remaining distance, it destroyed it.

Sitting beside her in the grass, Inuyasha turned towards her, the wind gently blowing strands of his spun-silk hair into her face and his breath across his cheek. "Then I'll say it again," he said, his voice quiet and steady, his eyes glowing with fathomless, intense emotion. I love you. I want you to be with me. We can work out the details along the way, on the quest. Loving you makes me stronger, gives me more of a reason than ever to defeat that bastard so I can stop fighting and just be with you. That's what I want Kagome, I just to be with you. I love you and no amount of time will ever change that."

Kagome stared at him, wide eyed and open-mouthed, trying to remember to breath in the high-altitude he sent her heart spiraling in. He sat here beside her, devastating her defenses with his beautiful words, his beautiful spirit.

Without thinking. she gave him her answer.

Throwing her arms around his neck, she tackled him, and quickly brought her mouth to his in a raging kiss. He was shocked, not expecting, never daring to hope for this. He growled deep in his chest and pulled her so close to him, feeling her breasts, her thigh pressed against him. His fangs bit lightly on her lips, causing her to give a quick moan of pleasure before breathing in and opening her mouth, fully to meet his tongue. This time there was no hesitation on her part. She took the lead. Their tongues met in a hot, sweet dance, faster and deeper, each demanding more.

Every inch of his body consumed by sudden fire, he changed the angle and pushed her gently back to the ground, not breaking the kiss once, and lay on top of her. He changed the rhythm of the kiss with every breath, slow, languid, and sensual, deep, hard, and desperate with passion. His hand moved up her side, tracing the gentle mound of her breast as she gave a little inhale of shock and pleasure.

Smelling and feeling her response was the strongest aphrodisiac. His own breath quickened as he felt himself become impossibly hard. _"She's finally mine, mine and no others!" _This thought gave him so much pleasure, it was all he could do not to shred her clothing and take her. He wanted her desperately, but fought for control. _"_Everything_ about this to be right for her," _he thought, _"No mistakes."_

He grabbed her wrists from around his neck, moving her arms above her head before breaking the kiss and looking down at her. He was pressed against her in a way that made her need to pant for air. She could feel the hard fullness of him through his clothes and hers against her stomach and thigh. Just once she felt him push his hips against her ever so slightly heightening the contact with her, shooting of rockets and heat inside her. The musk of her mounting excitement made him growl in urgency. He broke away from her lips and began licking swirls on her arched neck, causing her to gasp again and again as he breathed deeply at the small of her throat, inhaling her excitement, pleasure, and mounting need. He lifted his face and she looked up at him, her large eyes glowing darker with a mixture of amazement and desire, a silent plea for another kiss, another touch.

Her heart pounded within her chest as she relinquished control to him and her own desire– a desire that was taking away her will, her breath, her very sanity.

At that moment, looking up at him, she had no sensation of anything changing, but Inuyasha watched her irises rolled from a deepest blue-violet to a startling pale and back to deep violet in a flickering instant.

He looked down at her, gave her a quick, hard, kiss and pulled back, growling.

"Kagome," he uttered in a barely human voice, "I am going to say this just once. I want you, but I don't think we're ready for this, not yet."

She blinked to try to clear the haze of passion from her eyes and look at him clearly, a mixture of curiosity and hurt on her face.

"Is it because I didn't answer your question?" she asked breathlessly.

"Oh, you answered it," he said, uttering a short laugh. He looked smug again, but was struggling to gain control of his body and voice.

"But I didn't. I didn't tell you that—"

"Kagome," he spoke gently into her ear, trying not to embarrass her or cause her to pull away, "you told me that you didn't want to feel this way with anyone except your mate, and after what just happened, you showed me how you feel."

"Oh," she said, blushing a little underneath him as she remembered her bold attack. "I still want to tell you, I—"

"Ssh! I don't want you to say it now. I want you to wait for awhile, okay?"

She could feel his gentleness, his patience, but she didn't understand why he shutting down now that she was ready to open up. She felt him stiffen and heard him take in a couple of deep breaths.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong? Why are you stopping me, stopping this?"

He didn't answer her right away, but just held her for a couple of minutes, breathing, thinking. Finally, he pulled away from her, stood and lifted her to stand beside him.

Closing his eyes, he began speaking in a low voice, his face a mask of control.

"I understand why you couldn't choose between me and Michael when I asked you to before, but now you MUST make a choice. If we do this Kagome, there'll be no taking it back. You will be mine and mine alone. Michael will no longer be your protector, I will. I want to give you everything, be everything for you, but you must be sure it's what you want."

His heart felt like it was crashing in on his chest. She stood before him, her body and her eyes begging him, and oh, he wanted to give her what her scent demanded, He wanted her completely. He felt his breath catch in his throat and tears threaten to spill from his eyes as he forced himself away from her.

"_She could be mine now if I want her, and gods, do I want this woman! Still–the way she looked at Michael when he told her he loved her--I can't forget that look even if she has no memory of it. What if she loves him and just doesn't realize it yet? Can I take her if there's any chance, any at all, that she could regret this?"_

"Kagome," he said as gently as he could, but it was hard not to growl. "I want you, I want you now. The only thing that's stopping me, that's stopping this, is not knowing how you feel about Michael."

Shock left her frozen and speechless. Finally, trying to formulate a coherent sentence, she asked him, "You stopped because you want to know how I feel about Michael?"

She shook her head and gave a laugh of disbelief, "Inuyasha, Michael's my friend, my good friend, but that's all. I promise you, you have no reason to be jealous."

He nodded and turned away, wanting to ask her but not sure he could look at her when she gave her answer. "How would you feel if he told you he loved you?"

"What?! That's ridiculous! He doesn't and he can't. He's not allowed to get involved with humans. He's my trainer, my protector, my—"

"I KNOW what he's done for you and what he's been to you," he said, turning around to face her. "But what if he did say it?" he asked, clenching his jaw.

"He wouldn't! Inuyasha, you don't get it. There's NOTHING to be worried about. I'm his assignment, that's all. He's an _angel, _and when my training is over, he'll leave."

"Okay," he said, folding his arms, "GOOD!"

His eyes covered by his hair, his mood, somber. "But if it were possible for him to stay with you and if he loved you, what would you want?"

She felt a sudden fear that what she said next would be critical, and she was afraid of saying anything that could be wrong, that could wreck things between them. She closed her eyes and mentally crossed her fingers, hoping to find the words to placate him.

"I'm sure of my feelings, Inuyasha," she said with all the love she had for him filling her voice.

"Kagome," he said, "I'm not. I'm not sure that you even know how you feel," his voice almost a growl now.

Kagome felt the hurt, the shock of his words.

"Inuyasha, how can you say this to me after, after—"

He sighed and came closer to her. "I'm not trying to hurt you, but I want, I need you to think about what you want. If we finish what we started here today, I won't ever let you go, and I damn sure won't share, do you understand? I want you to be really sure before we do something there's no taking back."

She flushed and pushed down her anger at the implication of "sharing" her with Michael, knowing that he said it because he was afraid and lashing out. "I told you I'm sure, Inuyasha," she said, biting back her own temper.

"No, "he answered, "Not sure enough. I want to wait. Don't say anything about it now. I meant what I said before. I'm giving you some time. I want you to think very, very hard about what you want, what you really feel, and I want you to imagine that Michael _could_ stay with you, that you really had a choice and had to make it.

"Why! Why do you want me to pretend there's a choice to make? Is this some kind of a test, because you have damn well tested me enough!" she yelled, unable to control her own frustration.

"_Should I tell her what Michael said to her, what he did? What if I do that and he's just playing some kind of a game? Could telling her hurt her? Hells! I just don't know how to get us past this!"_

Keeping his head bent into his folded arms he gazed up without raising his head and answered her. "I'm not testing you, Kagome. I'm asking you to do this because if it were possible to be with him, then I think you could have deeper feelings for him, and you might have them already."

"So you really don't think I know how I feel? I'm surprised you could even consider being with someone so stupid!"

"Listen wench! I don't think you're stupid. I didn't know I was falling in love with you before you left, because I just didn't want to face it. I just want you to think before we take this step. I just want you to be happy about it, can you understand that?"

Once again, his love for her left her stunned, drained her of all her anger. "I'm sorry Inuyasha, I do understand what you're trying to do. I want to explain why your asking me to choose before confused me. Michael gave me back my life, the chance to fulfill my destiny, but you are my--"

"SSHH!" he whispered, grabbing her round the waist with one arm and rubbing two fingers softly against her lips. "I already told you– I don't want you to tell me what I am to you yet. I want you to be happy with your decision, Kagome. Believe me," he said, suddenly coming down to her throat and brushing his fangs against the juncture of her neck and shoulder in quick kiss, causing her to gasp, "If this happens again--if you're sure you want it, I'm not going to stop until you're mine completely."

* * *

Close by, a small bird youkai, its spirit hidden, sat high in a tree, beady, red eyes gleaming down. The foul beast sent back its report, causing the black liquid in the bowl to swirl grey, then pulse with color. A dark figure leaned forward; face hidden behind a grotesque mask. The only thing seemingly alive about the face was the eyes, gleaming black and malevolent.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. So terribly romantic. It almost seems a shame to end this love so soon! The spot they've chosen is perfect, don't you agree, sweetest one?" The voice was mocking, cruel.

A female voice answered in icy flatness: "This will be the place where the end begins. This will be the love consummated in death."


End file.
